Tag Archives: Abs

Getting Lean And Ripped Without The Bulky Fat Look

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Bruno_Ripped

The days of trying to bulk up as much as possible and look like a bodybuilder are out. Now the body image most men are looking for and most women find attractive is that of professional sprinters and swimmers. They are lean and toned with just the right amount of muscle and body fat to turn heads wherever they go. This is not a simple look to achieve, though. You must follow the right training protocols and make sure your diet is in check.

Top 4 things you should do

1. Cardio sprint training

When it comes to cardio, the preferred method is interval training. This allows you to push your body for a short period of time, and then take a period to rest and recover before going once again. It is preferable because it will also help develop your fast twitch muscle fibers and will kick your metabolism into high gear.

Any form of exercise that is very intense will help with your fat-burning process as the body will expend a great deal of calories repairing the damaged muscle tissue once you are finished your workout. Try to incorporate at least two sessions of interval training into your week — one focusing on longer intervals of one minute with two minutes of rest, and the other focusing on shorter intervals of 20 to 30 seconds with one to one and a half minutes of rest. Note: The shorter the interval, the more intense it should be.

2.Plyometric training

Plyometric training uses exercises that require you to move very quickly using only your body weight. They are great for developing explosive power and strength. Since you are not acting against a heavy weight load, you will not get the same hypertrophy effects that result in the bulky muscle look. Typical plyometric exercises are:

Box jumps: Jump onto as high of a box as you can, and then back down again. For added difficulty, try doing this off one leg.

Squat jumps: Begin by moving from a standing position down into a full squat, then rapidly push off the ground using your thigh muscles to propel yourself as high as possible. Land once again in a full squat position and repeat 10 to 15 times.

Clap push-ups: Perform the normal push-up action, but use your muscles to propel your body off the ground in the up phase. While in the air, clap your hands together and then land back into the push-up position to complete the downward portion of the exercise.

3. Circuit speed training

Circuit training is another good option for those looking to get lean and toned. It works in a similar way to supersets, but instead of working opposing muscle groups, you complete an entire circuit of exercises for your whole body. Perform one set of each exercise before moving onto the next one with little or no rest in-between. Once you finish one whole circuit, take a few minutes to rest, and then complete it again one to three more times.

Additionally, you may want to focus on increasing the velocity in which you perform the concentric (working portion) of your exercise, as this will help develop your fast twitch muscle fibers more.

4. Supersets

Supersets are an exercise technique in which you perform one set of an exercise for one muscle group, and then another set for an antagonistic group. For example, complete one set of bicep curls followed by one set of overhead tricep presses. Since these muscles oppose one another, while one is working, the other can rest. This both cuts down on your total workout time and increases the overall amount of calories burned during your training session.

Getting lean and toned is dependent on burning more calories than you take in to remove excess body fat, so anything that helps you accomplish this is a step in the right direction. Try to incorporate these types of exercises into your workout as much as possible. Good examples are chest presses supersetted with bent-over rows and leg extensions supersetted with hamstring curls.

Top 3 things to avoid

1. Taking long rest periods during sets

The general guideline for building a great deal of mass states that you should allow ample rest time between sets to let your muscles recover. This enables you to lift maximally on your next set. While this principle still holds true for putting getting big, reducing this rest time will increase your metabolism, helping you get leaner.

Since your goal is not to achieve your maximum size, the shortened rest breaks will not hinder you in getting good muscle definition. You still need to rest enough so that you can challenge yourself, but there is no need for two-minute rest periods anymore.

2. Neglecting all forms of cardio

If you want to get that lean look, you have to do some cardio training. Former methods enforced the principle of boycotting all cardio as it burned precious calories that could potentially go toward muscle growth. This is fine if you don’t wish to control your body-fat levels, but in order to see your hard-earned muscles, cardio is essential.

3. Eating everything in sight

Doing this will add mass, but a greater portion of it will be body fat, bringing you further away from the toned physique you’re looking for.

*Also note
If you are looking to develop a defined yet muscular body, put some of these principles into effect. You do not have to be huge to be strong, and most people these days prefer a more toned appearance over a bulky look. Don’t forget to stretch, make sure your diet is free from all junk and processed foods, and make sure you are eating five to six times a day to keep your metabolism up. Once you have mastered both the workout and the diet, your physique will get noticed.

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The Truth About Boot Camps

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Sydney-Boot-Camps

They are very rapid growing trend. The 3 main reason why they are is as follows.

1. Its is very affordable.

2. You can go with all your friends and try holding each other accountable.

3. There is usually one or two people leading the boot camp, so you can relax a little bit.
But the most important thing you are not being assisted with in boot camps, is efficient resistance training and nutrition. Which are the two main components in weight loss and muscle definition.

Boot camps stress on cardio, yes cardio is a great thing, but in order to maintain your goals of weight loss and definition you have to eat right and train right. Lifting a 5-8lb dumbbell in your bootcamp is not sufficient enough, and the amount of repetitions you are doing are too high in order to stress the muscle enough so it can grow, which is the point in resistance training. More muscle will increase your metabolism, which will then allow your body to burn fat. After 20min-30min all your carbohydrate stores are done. After that, your body relies on easily accessible protein to use as fuel!! This is BAD! This is called catabolism, and your body ends up using your protein stores for energy, this makes it harder for your body to add muscle tone, as you have no proteins no longer in your body to do so.

You are probably wondering. Will you lose weight doing boot camps?
Yes, but it isn’t just fat, you are burning fat and protein stores, which could have potential lead to muscle.
So why would you want to do that, when muscle is what speeds up your metabolism?

Also in boot camps you will very quickly reach a plateau. Which means your body will not change much. I am just here to inform you about what bootcamps are truely doing, it is a money market for most trainers.

The main thing also is they put you on a 3 month contract at $300 which works out to be $10 a session per week. But if you do not attend your money is good as gone. They charge everyone $300 each for there Bootcamp packages. If there are 30 of you that is a quick and easy $3000 for the group. Do you think they really care about your results??

The main thing also is the instructors running the boot camps wouldn’t even last 10min in a real military or police boot camp!

Do you really think they now how to motivate and push you correctly?? When they themselves have never trained to any sort of high fitness standard??




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Training Your Core Muscles

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Sniejder

About the Core Muscles:

There are hundreds of muscles in the core of the body – the abs (all layers), lower to mid back, upper pelvic region, the obliques and the world famous ‘love handles’ areas are loaded with muscles of all different sizes, shapes, lengths and angles – which require specific core exercises to produce the desired core strength training effect.

What is amazing is, these core muscles are all so close together, some of which are layered – meaning muscle behind muscle. And if all of these core muscles are worked out properly with the right exercise program and workouts – it is not a question of “Will I be able to get a great core?” but a question of “When will I have my great core?”

Unlike 97% of core fitness workouts that are in existence, the best core workout, is designed to provide a training stimulus to every single muscle in the body’s core a with the right exercises.

The upper, middle and lower core – the love handles – the obliques – the lower and mid back areas (avoiding these will not only prevent you from ever getting killer abs, but can lead to serious injury – this happens EVERY DAY to people who try to exercise without proper guidance – & it is one the reasons why physical therapists are so busy!)

The best core workout does not rely on big expensive fitness machines or silly exercise gadgets.

It does rely on the body itself, its natural movement patterns and how the muscles of the body work in relation to gravity. This means the ideal core workout can be done anywhere, anytime.

A big mistake many people, even trainers, make is to mimic the core routines of bodybuilders or powerlifters. The problem with that is most people are not bodybuilders or powerlifters – and these people tend to overtrain anyway (I know this because I used to do it myself!). The problems here range from a lot of wasted time to serious, long term injuries.

Core Exercises:

Side Bridge

Lie on your side with your forearm on the floor under your shoulder to prop you up, and your feet stacked. Contract your core and press your forearm against the floor to raise your hips until your body is straight from ankles to shoulders. Hold for 15 to 45 seconds, then repeat on the other side. Contract your abs and butt muscles forcefully to keep your body straight.

Plank with Diagonal Arm Lift

Assume a modified pushup position with your feet shoulder-width apart, forearms on the floor. Keeping your torso steady, raise your right arm for-ward and to the right, so that it points to 2 o’clock. Hold for 2 seconds, then lower and repeat with your left arm, raising it to 10 o’clock. That’s one rep. Your elbows should be bent 90 degrees and directly under your shoulders.

Single-Leg Lowering

Lie on your back with your legs extended straight up. Keeping your legs straight, lower your left leg until your foot is 2 to 3 inches off the floor. Return to the starting position, then repeat with your right leg; that’s one repetition. Think about pushing the bottom of your heel away from your hip as you lower your leg. Don’t point your toes; keep your foot flexed toward you. Lead with your heel.

Swiss-Ball Knee Tuck

Assume the pushup position with your shins resting on a Swiss ball, hands slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Keeping your abs tight, draw your knees toward your chest until your toes are on top of the ball. Slowly straighten your legs so the ball rolls back to the starting position. Lift your hips as you bring your knees toward you so your shins rise off the ball.

Cable Kneeling Chop

At a high-pulley cable, grab an end of rope with each hand. Go down on your right knee, with your left knee pointing toward the weight stack; this is the starting position. Rotate your torso away from the stack as you pull your hands to your chest, then down and away from you. Reverse to the start. Keep your torso upright as you extend your arms away from your body.

Glute-Bridge March

Lie with your knees bent and your arms and heels on the floor. Push down through your heels and squeeze your glutes to raise your body into a straight line from knees to shoulders. Next, bring a knee toward your chest. Reverse the move, then repeat with your other leg. That’s one rep. Don’t allow your hips to sag at any time during the movement.

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