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The Best AB Workout EVER…NOT!

By: Rob Duggan    Tags: , —

There were many things running through my mind before I decided what topic I wanted to write about.

I guess I was inspired to write about this as I was leaving the gym the other night…The question I was left with was; “How do I lose fat around my abs, and tighten them up?”

Now, this is question is okay; the majority of people in this world are totally confused and misinformed about what to do in this very COMMON situation. I could write about this all day - but, here is the short version. This is my response when I routinely get asked about how to tighten up “this or that”:

NUMBER ONE:
First and formost; Don’t think about it like, I want to lose weight or tone this or that particular body part up.  Look at it like this - I need to bulid more muscle throughout my entire body and lose body fat!  It is these two very important factors that are responsible for that hard and toned physique that most are looking for. It will save you a ton of time and wasted effort if you can embrace this simple fact about, “toning and shaping”!

NUMBER TWO:
Pick the mose effective exercises for accomplishing this task.  Don’t slave away on cardio equipment or non-functional exercise machines!  Focus on doing exercise movements that challenge the entire body at one time.  There are so many effective, fun and result producing exercises and workouts that a person can do - it just dosen’t make sense to come to the gym and do things that take up a lot of your precious time and don’t have much carry-over to getting that toned athletic body you want.

NUMBER THREE:
Keep your workouts short and intense, my friends.  If you’re doing things right, you will not want to train for any longer than 30-40 minutes, tops! Trust me on this. These fast paced workouts can be accomplished with any of the following:  Kettlebells, bodyweight circuits, interval sprint workouts, sprints against resistance bands, etc. The objective is to just be creative and do it!

Think about incorporating these things in your next workout.

If you have questions about your own personal workout or anyting else, do not hesitate to ask me for help.

We enjoy helping and educating our members on the facts of  reality based training.

Athletic Style Training: For A Strong, Lean Body

By: Rob Duggan    Tags: —

Exercise must not be complex nor radical to be effective.  This means that when you’re working out, perform exercises that challenge the whole body to work together.  For example: Deadlifts, walking lunges, step-ups, jumps and jumping rope  are all fantastic ways to strengthen, and really tighten up your glutes and hamstrings.  Pull ups, chin ups and rowing variations are great choices for a strong and great looking back.  Push ups and its variations not only work your upper body and your core, but also create stability in your upper back and scapula, which improves posture and shoulder health. 

Free-motion and resistance-band presses and pulls are also great fullbody movements.  Incorporate these exercises into your weekly training sessions and work them hard!  I mean seriously, you need to be sweating your BUTT off!  For hard, toned muscle, lower your repetitons to 6-8 and use perfect form.  Be active, eat fresh and clean food, be strong and be happy!

Top 10 for Health and Wellness

By: Rob Duggan    Tags: , , —
  1. Start your day off right.  Eat breakfast
  2. Take Fish Oils
  3. Drink out of Polycarbonate water bottles
  4. Train in intervals! Workouts should be high intensity, no more than 35 minutes and explosive!
  5. Eat organic as much as possible.
  6. Drink LOTs of water
  7. Avoid cooking with plastic.
  8. Consume a variety of veggies, fruits, and nuts.
  9. Don’t waste time doing endless cardio!  Strength train and you’ll burn more calories.
  10. Focus on building LEAN muscle if you want to be lean and strong.

HIIT For Fat Loss

By: Matt    Tags: , , —

Many people dutifully slog away on the treadmill and/or elliptical at a slow to medium pace for weeks or even months on end, yet never quite reach their fat loss goals.

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)-along with NLF-style full body resistance training— is a much more efficient and effective way of reaching your fat loss/body composition goals.  

That’s not to say that lower intensity cardio can never be a part of a well-rounded healthy lifestyle, because it certainly can and does have its place.  However, if you want to lose the most bodyfat possible in the least amount of time, HIIT should be prioritized for a number of reasons:

  1. Your metabolism is stimulated to a much greater degree during HIIT than during low intensity cardio.
  2. Result=increased metabolic rate, and more calories burned throughout the day.
  3. Even when you are not working out lean muscle is spared during HIIT, as opposed to longer duration lower intensity cardio that can tap into muscle glycogen stores
  4. The increased fitness/conditioning level you achieve will carry over to every activity you perform, including weight/resistance workouts, endurance events, sports, etc.
  5. Increased mental toughness—-if you can get through a tough HIIT session, you can get through any workout!
  6. Much more efficient workouts—A HIIT workout usually doesn’t last more than 10-15 minutes!  

HIIT workouts to get you started:

Outdoor Sprints:  choose a predetermined distance (50 to 100 yards, depending on fitness level); sprint chosen distance, then rest for 45 to 60 seconds; repeat for 10-12 intervals.  In subsequent workouts, strive to increase sprinting pace/distance and reduce rest times.

Jump Rope Intervals:  Choose an appropriate length/weight jump rope; jump for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds; repeat for 12-15 intervals, depending on fitness level; in subsequent workouts, strive to increase the jumping time while reducing the resting time;  advanced jumping techniques can also be introduced.

Bodyweight Calisthenics Intervals:  perform the following exercises in a 30 seconds on/30 seconds rest format:  burpees, followed by mountain climbers, followed by power jumps; repeat interval circuit 3-5 times.

These are some basic workouts that can be performed on your off days from weight/resistance workouts or even immediately following a resistance workout.  If you have any questions or need a greater challenge, feel free to contact a NLF staff member!