Fitness
Fitness
Use Yoga to Improve Your Run: Part I
When training the muscles of our thighs, athletes tend to naturally focus on the power houses of the quadriceps…the force behind the kick that drives us forward with each step. It’s easy to target the quadriceps in both our strengthening and stretching exercises (squats anyone?) and if the knee position is aligned, these muscles tend […]
Fitness
Adding Strength Training Into Your Cardio Routine: Part 2
If you’re seeking to gain greater muscle definition, visible strength, or want to better address muscle imbalances, there’s no need to add expensive equipment to your strength training workouts. Incorporating a few dumbbells and resistance bands isn’t a big investment in time or space and you can even tuck some into an ottoman or under […]
Fitness
5 Free Ways to Get in Shape This Spring
Spring has finally begun to blossom. The days are getting longer and warmer, and soon trees will be lush and flowers will be in full bloom. Summer will be here in no time, which means tank tops, shorts, and bikinis for some. For others, it means rock climbing, swimming or long bike rides. Unsurprisingly, spring […]
Fitness
Adding Strength Training Into Your Cardio Routine
Are tight schedules and a lack of equipment keeping you from getting the benefits of strength training? If you find yourself making excuses rather than making your workouts, it’s time to develop a program that works with you and your schedule. Low equipment and no equipment forms of strength training are excellent ways to build […]
Fitness
How to Train to Walk Your First 5K
My life was forever changed when I crossed the finish line of my first 5K. For starters, I never thought I could finish a 5K. And two, the journey to the start line taught me that when I put my mind to something, I can achieve it. Sign up and get motivated. The key for […]
Fitness
Strength And Cardio Training: Should They Mix?
Strength and cardiovascular training methods are often at odds. Many people train in strictly one or other, believing that the neglected training style will somehow hinder their progress. Gym myths and misunderstandings just add to the confusion, promoting ideas like “running burns muscle.” Other exercisers simply don’t know how to incorporate both strength and cardiovascular […]
Fitness
How To Quickly Get Your Beach Body In 8 Weeks – Weeks 5 & 6
Congratulations on making it halfway through the challenge! Weeks 3 & 4 focused on increasing your intensity and introduced more weight with resistance bands and dumbbells. Coming up with weeks 5 & 6 we will add on additional workouts throughout the week. Some days will have both an AM & PM exercise. Saturdays will also introduce […]
Fitness
Best Hamstring Stretches for Your Cycling Workouts
If you’re hooked on cycling as a no-impact, high quality, cardiovascular workout, you already know that these workouts build strength, improve fitness, and even reduce body fat. Cycling is easy on the joints and a great complement to running, weightlifting, and other forms of training. Unfortunately, if you ignore mobility related to cycling, it could […]
Fitness
Best Indoor Cycling Hacks to Burn the Most Calories
Indoor cycling burns serious calories. Cycling workouts get the heart pumping and leaves your metabolism jacked for hours, without impact on your joints. So if a calorie churning workout is what draws you to your indoor cycling training, it makes sense to maximize efforts to increase the calorie burn. Wondering how to do it? Here […]
Fitness
How To Quickly Get Your Beach Body In 8 Weeks – Weeks 3 & 4
I hope weeks 1 & 2 of our Beach Body Series went well for you. If you haven’t started yet, that’s okay, it’s never too late. Starting this week we are going to increase our intensity and start challenging ourselves a little bit more. To accomplish this we will add in some weight training with […]
Fitness
Mastering the Snatch – Olympic Weightlifting for Functional Training
Olympic Weightlifting, also simply called Weightlifting, is growing in popularity, due largely to its inclusion in functional fitness style workouts. The Snatch and Clean and Jerk (more on these later) are the only lifts included as competitive events in the sport of Weightlifting, though home and functional movement workouts include variations of these lifts. This […]
Fitness
When to Increase Your Weights – Here's How To Know.
You shouldn’t lift the same amount of weight for months or years on end. You need to challenge your muscles to continually work harder and become stronger. Here’s how to know when you’re ready to increase your weight.
Fitness
The Benefits of Using Stationary Bikes
New exercise routines and regimens seem to appear on a daily basis, and treadmills and ellipticals continue to be the most popular cardio pieces in the gym, but don’t overlook the stationary bikes. The benefits of using an stationary bike are numerous and diversified. It is a great workout for beginning exercisers, elite athletes, and those […]
Fitness
How To Quickly Get Your Beach Body In 8 Weeks
Can you feel it?! The warmth is coming . . . and with that means summer is coming too! Get in shape and get ready for the beach (and a beach body)! Our wonderful Joli, certified personal trainer, has put together this amazing 8 week program to help us feel and look great on the […]
Fitness
Fat Burning Treadmill Workout -Easy to Follow Steps
Now that you’re all set up with the basics of exactly how to run on a treadmill, it’s time to get more specific and use your treadmill to reach certain goals. For many of you, the number one goal is fat loss. Below are some easy to follow steps for a successful fat burning treadmill workout. […]
Fitness
4 Knee Strengthening Exercises to Build Muscle and Alleviate Pain
Chances are, if you’re a regular exerciser you’ll suffer from the occasional ache and pain. And knee problems are right up there when it comes to those who experience some type of exercise-induced pain. If you’re one to suffer from occasional knee pain that comes out of nowhere and throws a wrench into your fitness […]
Fitness
See How Easy It Is to Lose Belly fat
Wondering how to lose belly fat? Belly fat contributes to the development of high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, and risk factors for heart disease. Piling on a few extra pounds around the middle is a vicious cycle of insulin resistance and easy weight gain. How do you break that cycle? You can lose belly […]
Fitness
How to do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Treadmill Workouts
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is one of the top training trends in the fitness industry today. In addition to being a good challenge (the words “high intensity” in the title give that away), HIIT treadmill workouts can be quick and very effective. While there are many ways to get in a HIIT workout (bodyweight […]
Fitness
The Face Pull: Get the What, How, and Why
Many might be fooled into thinking the Face Pull is just another easy corrective exercise. The fact is it’s a versatile exercise that can be programmed as part of your dynamic warm-up or as part of your upper body strength routine. Face Pulls primarily work the rear deltoids (shoulders), rhomboids and the external rotators (infraspinatus […]
Fitness
Quick, Intense Circuit Training in the Comfort of Your Own Home
Let’s face it, there are times when we just can’t get to the gym for a workout. Maybe you have a little one at home, or have a tight schedule, or you simply don’t want to deal with the hustle and bustle of a busy gym and having to fight the crowds. Sounds like the […]
Fitness
How To Do A Single Leg Romanian DeadLift The Right Way
Master the Single Leg Romanian DeadLift Next up in my “Exercises You Should Be Doing” series is the Single Leg Romanian Deadlift. Also known as the Single Leg RDL, this exercise not only provides an excellent lower body workout, but also carries over to work other key areas. This makes it an ideal exercise for […]
Fitness
Have the Courage to Try Sprint 8 – It's for Beginners too!
You may have heard about the scientifically proven Sprint 8 program that will blast up to 27% of your body fat away in just 8 weeks. If this sounds intimidating, it really isn’t. You can accomplish this goal in exercising for 20 minutes a day for 3 days a week. The goal of Sprint 8 […]
Fitness
5 Ways Exercise is Good for Your Brain Health
Like most people, my brain wasn’t always the first thing on my mind. At age 22 doctors diagnosed me with a brain tumor. Seven years later, my dad suffered a brain hemorrhage that left him severely disabled. These two experiences have changed the way I think about brain health. Now I strive to keep both […]
Fitness
Working Out at Home vs. Joining a Gym: Which Will Get You Better Results?
The new year has begun with a new opportunity for making your fitness goals happen. Sticking to your fitness goals is going to take some planning. You may be finding yourself weighing the benefits of joining a gym and working out at home. As a personal trainer and fitness instructor, I spend a lot of […]
Fitness
Why You'll Love HIIT Exercise Bike Workouts (and How to Do One)
High Intensity Interval Training is one of the most popular and effective approaches to cardiovascular exercise. Research demonstrates that HIIT bike workouts reduce body fat, increase cardiovascular capacity, and even help to control type II diabetes. On top of that, HIIT exercise bike workouts are efficient. Replacing one or more of your moderate intensity cardio […]
Fitness
How to Improve Heart Health with Exercise
Exercise for appearance or performance often takes a back burner to getting (and keeping) our body healthy. National Heart Health Month is a great time to incorporate ways to improve heart health with exercise. Heart disease and stroke remain the number one killers of men and women. However, many of the causes of heart disease […]
Fitness
Heart Disease: When to Worry About Heart Health
February is National Heart Health Month, an effort to increase awareness of heart disease, which is the leading killer of both women and men each year. Whether you’re worried about heart health or don’t really know where you stand, this is a good reminder to check in with your doctor. While genetics, age, and gender […]
Fitness
What is Glycogen and How Does it Affect Athletes?
Glycogen is a storage form of glucose. While we can store an almost limitless amount of fat in our adipose tissues, the glycogen storage is limited to about a pound. Our muscles store about 75% of glycogen and the rest of it is stored in the liver. Liver glycogen is an important source of energy for our […]
Fitness
How To Strengthen Your Heart: 5 Simple Tips
Increase your energy, lower your blood pressure and reduce your stress. Learn how to get a stronger heart with these 5 types of activities.
Fitness
Great HIIT Elliptical Workouts that Get Results!
When most people think about High Intensity Interval Training (or HIIT) workouts, they often associate them with the treadmill, bike or outdoor sprinting. But what about a HIIT elliptical workout? Take your elliptical workouts to the next level by including HIIT. The elliptical is a great choice when it comes to getting in your interval sessions […]
Fitness
How to Increase Your Fitness this Winter by Indoor Rowing
This is the first in the Winter Indoor Rowing series. Check out the second post for specific workouts for weight loss: This Expert Rower Circuit Workout Will Help You Lose Weight. Have you considered purchasing an indoor rowing machine? Rowing machines have recently become enormously popular. Rowers offer a low impact workout that is great […]
Fitness
Make Shoveling Snow Your Workout – Tips On How to Do It Safely
For anyone that has shoveled snow, you know it can be a workout! Pushing and throwing that wet, heavy snow can be comparable to a weight-lifting session or even an aerobic workout on the treadmill. According to LiveStrong, an average person can burn 223 calories per 30 minutes while shoveling snow. So the next time […]
Fitness
6 Benefits of Strength Training Beyond Building Muscle
Everyone knows that strength training (working with free weights, machines, resistance bands, etc.) is a great way to build and maintain muscle and strength. What many people may not know about, however, is all of the other benefits that are associated with a strength training routine. Today’s strength training workouts offer a ton of benefits […]
Fitness
A Circuit Workout Proven to be Convenient and Customizable
Are the winter months keeping you away from the gym more than you’d like? Maybe you don’t want to fight the New Year’s Resolution crowds. Or perhaps you’re in a post-holiday funk. Sounds like the perfect time to add your own circuit workout to get you back in the groove! Working out at home can not […]
Fitness
Fool-Proof Methods for Meeting Your New Year's Resolutions
The right New Year’s resolution is a powerful way to state your intentions for the coming year. Whether you choose to focus on improving your health, body image, or stress reduction, your fitness plan should support this goal. Keep your fitness resolution from losing momentum before Valentine’s Day by trying a new tool to stay […]
Fitness
How Exercise Can Reduce your Holiday Stress.
Fitting in shopping while prepping for the holidays? Juggling family and financial obligations? Overwhelmed by parties with too much food and alcohol? There are good reasons that the holidays can skyrocket your stress level. If you’re looking for ways to relieve that holiday stress, exercise will help. Exercise is one of the most powerful stress […]
Fitness
Get A Killer Workout in Just 10 Minutes
It’s true, you really can get a beneficial workout in if all you have is 5-10 minutes. As a fitness professional, one of the top excuses I hear is that people just don’t have time to exercise. For many, lack of time is definitely a real obstacle when it comes to staying fit. There are […]
Fitness
2 Popular Running Form Problems & How-to Fix Them
You can easily get faster by simply focusing on your running form. Like your car, boosting your running efficiency will help you gain more speed, cover miles more efficiently, and drastically reduce your risk for injury.
Fitness
Hoist V Express Home Gym – Review
Hoist V Express Home Gym – Review The Hoist V Express Home Gym is the home gym for everyone in the family. It allows for someone just starting out with strength training all the way to the seasoned gym goer. It’s footprint takes up less space than your average bench press making it ideal for […]
Fitness
How To Set Up Functional Training At Home
How to do Functional Training at home | Part 2 of 2 Good, Better, Best — Which home gym setup is right for you? Good: Once you’ve got the right space in your home, you will probably want to consider investing in at least one piece of cardiovascular equipment, as well as mapping an outside running route that […]