HOW TO LIFT WEIGHT FOR MAXIMUM DEFINITION

A lot of people want to change their bodies, we all want to burn fat, get lean and remain healthy. However, this cannot be achieced merely by jumping on the treadmill and running till kingdom come.

If you really want to lose weight and gain quality muscle, you need to tone down on the treadmill and hit the weights (and I'm not talking about those itty bitty weights). To build quality muscle, you need to use weights which are at least 25% of your body weight. This means that if you weigh 100kg, you should lift at least 25kg in weight.

 

Weight training helps speed up your metabolism, burning more calories than if you merely performed cardio. It also strengthens your bones, reducing the possibility of contracting osteoporosis in the long term. It also improves your coordination and balance, improving your strength and muscular endurance.

 

In order to build definition, you need to lift weights that weigh approximately half your one rep maximum ( This is the amount of weight which you cannot lift more than once). Thus if your one rep max is 90kg, then you need to lift about 45 kg to define your muscles.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 8-12 reps for muscular strength and 10-15 reps for muscular endurance. They also recommend training each muscle group 2 to 3 times a week. But, the number of times you lift each week will depend on your training method. In order for muscles to repair and grow, you'll need about 48 hours of rest between workout sessions. If you're training at a high intensity, take a longer rest. Perform at least 1 set of each exercise to fatigue although you'll find that most people perform about 2-3 sets of each exercise.

 

 

INTENSITY: THE KEY TO FITNESS SUCCESS

A gym peeve of mine is seeing people working out with too little intensity (intensity refers to how hard you work). I often see gym goers lifting far less weight than they should be working with, reading novels, and carrying out animated conversations during their workouts. As a general rule, if you can carry on a conversation whilst you are working out, then you are not working at the appropriate intensity. You should feel like your muscles have been thoroughly worked out, but you should not feel so utterly exhausted that you can't do anything else after the workout.

 

 

You can improve your workout intensity by working out for shorter periods of time whilst increasing weights and distance, cross-training, working out on an incline bench, and maximizing your body weight while working out, by using a weighted vest or ankle weights.

 

Research has shown that the higher the intensity, the more calories you burn, not only while exercising, but after you leave the gym, when your body benefits from an“after-burn” mode. Research also indicates that strenuous exercise blunts your appetite after workouts more effectively than longer sessions of easy exercise do.

 

By increasing the intensity of your workouts, you save time and improve your fitness, helping you to achieve and exceed your fitness goals much faster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ARE YOU WASTING YOUR TIME????

IT IS an all too familiar warm-up routine for most gym-goers.

Slip on your trainers, stretch off  your muscles … then  choose your music, untangle your headphones, check your messages and make sure your water bottle is full.

But fitness fans will waste 21 minutes of each hour on activities that simply burn up time rather than calories, a survey has found.

Chatting and adjusting clothes are other popular procrastination tactics which help the typical gym member waste around 35 per cent of each visit - spending only 39 minutes an hour actually exercising.

The poll found that up to 55 per cent of gym members fiddle with their phone or iPod to work out the music to go with their session.

30 per cent of regulars take as long as ten minutes to sort out their headphones, according to the survey of 1000 adults.

Up to a third (32 per cent) admit they regularly interrupt their routines to chat to other gym-goers.

Other time-wasting habits to emerge from the study include the constant refilling of water bottles, adjusting clothes and trainers and checking phones.

Kevin Yates of fitness chain Harpers, which carried out the survey, said: "Your time at the gym shouldn't be spent untangling headphones, choosing music or checking your phone, and we hope this makes gym-goers more aware of the time they spend exercising and the time they spend not exercising."

 

 

STOP SOCIALIZING AND START EXERCISING

I fall into this trap from time to time. I carry out some sets with maximum intensity, and in the process of taking a short break I strike up a discussion with a friend or acquaintance. Within a short time the 'short' discussion becomes an hour long conversation. At the end of the session, I leave the gym feeling distinctly unfulfilled and knowing that I could have achieved much more with the time I spent in the gym that day.

 

 

However, I have been able to combat the temptation of socialising during my workout time by following these simple steps.

 

1. I plan out my workout beforehand and I ensure that I meet every limit set in my workout plan. This prevents me from wasting time

 

2. Get to the gym very early, before the time wasters start arriving.

 

3. Cut down on classes if they are not HIIT based. Many classes involve lengthy warm up and cool down sessions which eat into your training time.

 

4. Get yourself a nice personal music player with your favourite tracks. Once you pop on your headphones, your concentration should be multiplied.

 

By following these steps, your training time will be maximised and you'll see results much faster than before.

SWEATING IS NOT WEIGHT LOSS

 

So you've spent hours in the gym, counted the calories, and taken all the classes from Aerobics to Zumba, but everytime you climb the scale your weight remains the same.

 

So what could possibly be wrong?

 

 

Many people go into the gym and make several fundamental mistakes which prevent them from achieving their fitness goals. This swiftly demotivates the individual, causing them to reduce their gym attendance, and in most cases they stop attending the gym altogether.

 

I see lots of people make the mistake of spending an inordinate amount of their workout session going from one cardio machine to the other. Many people equate sweating with weight loss. Sweating just means you have a hyperactive internal system,” he says. “It doesn’t have a single thing to do with losing weight, or with burning calories, which is how much work you do. Also, sweating is all water weight --which is all replaced once you take in liquid again. It doesn’t mean anything.”

 

Maintaining a healthy bodyweight is a function of several lifestyle decisions, not merely jumping on the cardio machine.

 

 

 

 

 

 



DOES A WORKOUT GIVE YOU A BAD HAIR DAY?

 

Apparently it does. and it's worse for women of African origin.

 

A study conducted by the Center for African American Health and the University of Colorado School of Medicine's Center for Women's Health Research finds that African American women whose hairstyle is affected by perspiration may avoid physical activity altogether. Prior studies have found that between 29 percent and 48 percent of African American women say that their hairstyle was a factor in deciding whether or not to exercise. Some women involved in the study who experience hairstyle barriers to physical activity explained that it can take too much time or money to restyle their hair after exercise that causes perspiration.

 

Hair issues may be reduced by using "low-maintenance" hairstyles such as wearing braids or ponytails. Researchers are looking for ways to reduce the effects of pespiration on the hair.

 

 

 

 

TOP 25 MOTIVATIONAL FITNESS QUOTES

1. Strive for progress, not perfection.
-Unknown

 

2. You want me to do something... tell me I can't do it.
-Maya Angelou

 

3. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
-Wayne Gretzky

 

4. If you don’t make mistakes, you aren’t really trying.
-Unknown

 

5. You live longer once you realize that any time spent being unhappy is wasted.
-Ruth E. Renkl

 

6. Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
-Mahatma Gandhi

 

7. Motivation will almost always beat mere talent.
-Norman R. Augustine

 

8. I'd rather be a failure at something I enjoy than a success at something I hate.
-George Burns

 

9. Energy and persistence conquer all things.
-Benjamin Franklin

 

10. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

11. No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.
-Aesop

12. Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
-Albert Einstein

 

13. Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.
-Lou Holtz

 

14. Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.
-Jim Ryan

 

15. I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.
-Michael Jordan

 

16. Fear is what stops you... courages is what keeps you going.
-Unknown

 

17. The finish line is just the beginning of a whole new race.
-Unknown

 

18. The difference between a goal and a dream is a deadline.
-Steve Smith

 

19. Just do it.™ -Nike

 

20. In seeking happiness for others, you find it for yourself.
-Anonymous

 

21. The secret of getting ahead is getting started.
-Mark Twain

 

22. It's not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.
-Anonymous

 

23. Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.
-Oprah Winfrey

 

24. It's never too late to become what you might have been.
-George Eliot

 

25. Clear your mind of can’t.
-Samuel Johnson

IS RUNNING BETTER THAN WALKING

You know, if I had N100 for every time someone asked me this question, I would be quite the millionaire.

 

Many runners caution against just walking, insisting that walks do not burn enough calories for weight loss. Walkers, in turn, warn that running can be too hard on the joints and bones over prolonged periods of time. A number of studies have been conducted in regards to the age-old debate concerning whether the stroll or the sprint wins this race for better health. And the conclusions?

 

Running does burn more calories than walking per hour, which makes running a better fit for those whose longterm fitness goals centered around weight loss. A study completed by the Life Sciences Division of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory compared recreational runners and walkers in 2013. The survey compared stats such as age, weight, height, health risks and existing health problems, and took a sampling of nearly 50,000 runners and walkers over the course of six years. The results proved that runners, statistically, were in better shape

 

 Walking has a real edge over running in how accessible it is for a person to start doing, however. Walking does not place undue strain on the joints, does not strain or tear muscles, and does not require shoes that are designed to specially absorb the shock of pounding the pavement, which running does. Running has also been known to elevate the likelihood of cardiac distress in distance activities, such as marathons. Likewise, running has been linked to osteoarthritis as well as damage to cartilage over time. Choosing which habit, running or walking, is better for longterm fitness goals is up to the individual; the choice seems to be centered around whether a person is looking for rapid weight loss and increased endurance, or in building a manageable routine and maintaining a healthy body.

Research suggests that walking can offer the same health benefits as its speedier cousin if the activity is done for a longer period of time. It is not inadvisable, either, to both run and walk in variation. Fitness experts urge runners and walkers alike to listen to their bodies and to neither strain nor take it too easy where personal fitness is concerned. The benefits of both activities manifest themselves over time and bear repeating for the best results.

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT SELF DEFENCE STYLE SHOULD I PRACTISE?

There are a few things to consider before choosing the martial arts style that's best for you.

Are you only interested in getting a good workout or in better shape before stepping foot in a martial arts studio? If so, then a cardio-kickboxing class might be the right choice for you. Cardio-kickboxing is a great way to introduce yourself to martial arts, and there's probably a class offered at your local gym. You won't learn intricate techniques, but you will build up the musculature and stamina needed for a lot of martial arts.  Getting in better shape and feeling stronger will definitely give you a huge boost if you decide to try a traditional form of martial arts.

You shouldn't worry about getting hurt (besides the occasional bump or bruise), but you still need to consider your comfort level when it comes to getting ‘up close and personal’ with someone you don't know. If you're ready to dive right into some hardcore fighting, then you might want to try Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai kickboxing, or Krav Maga. If you want to learn a martial art at a less aggressive pace, then Tae Kwon Do, Karate, or Wing Chun Kung Fu might be more to your liking.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a streamlined form of grappling designed for maximum impact that includes choke holds and limb locks. It's very intense and not for the faint of heart, but if you're looking for self-defense, it can't be beat. There are belts in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but you won't be learning forms or katas to advance. Advancement in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu depends on how well you spar, which means you’ll have to prove your ability on the mat.

Muay Thai kickboxing will literally kick your butt, and it's one of the best standing fighting styles out there. And like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, you'll only advance by actually fighting in the ring. There are a lot of schools offering "mock" Muay Thai that's really just a blend of other fighting styles, so make sure the school you choose has certified Muay Thai instructors.

Krav Maga is the official self-defense system of the Israeli Defense Forces, and it's specifically designed to teach you effective and practical hand-to-hand combat techniques. It's an amazing workout, and most schools have great programs for women.

You'll do a whole lot of kicking in Tae Kwon Do, but you'll also have to learn about the spiritual side of the martial art. Tae Kwon Do is very popular, so you probably won’t have any problem finding a program in your area.

Karate is the term most associated with martial arts, but there are a variety of styles of Karate to choose from. Karate styles are based on striking with both hands and feet, and you can find styles that emphasize either the more philosophical or combative aspects of the art.

Wing Chun Kung Fu is a martial art that emphasizes close-range striking and combat techniques, and legend tells that it was developed by a woman. Bruce Lee originally trained in Wing Chun, and if you've ever seen a martial arts film where the star is practicing on a wooden dummy that has sticks jutting out, he was probably practicing Wing Chun.

Capoeira is fantastic way of building self defence skills, whilst gaining cardiovascular fitness and advanced muscle development. As a street based martial art, it emphasizes close quarters sparring and creative offensive and defensive techniques.

In order to advance in Tae Kwon Do, Karate, or Wing Chun, you'll have to learn forms or katas, which are a specific series of complex movements. If the idea of have to actually fight to advance doesn't appeal to you, then you might want to one of those three styles.

Everyone is a beginner at some point, so you shouldn't be nervous if you've never punched or kicked anything before. At the end of the day, a martial arts studio is a business that needs new clientele in order to thrive, and women mean big business. Most studios will offer free or low-cost introductory lessons, programs for beginners, and programs designed specifically for women, so do a little research beforehand and find a studio that has a variety of options that suit your needs

9 MYTHS ABOUT FEMALE SELF DEFENCE

Myth #6 Women who survive are fearless.
The first effect in any violent situation is emotion, and the most common one is fear. When a man steps in front of you holding a knife, your adrenaline starts pumping and your heart beats faster. These are reactions that can't be avoided—nor should they be. It's the fight-or-flight survival instinct that allows you to focus on beating your enemy or getting the hell out of there.

 

Many people fear they will freeze up or act irrationally. When you know how to respond, you'll still feel a certain amount of fear that you could be hurt, or that you're about to cause harm to another human being, but that will be tempered with confidence.

 

Myth #7 Focus on blocking his attacks.
Many self-protection classes teach you to react to an attacker's actions. This defensive thinking can make you hesitate ("What is he going to do to me?"), lose focus (waiting to get hurt makes most people freeze), and ultimately be one step behind the attacker. In a threatening situation, don't worry about what he's doing; make him worry about what you're doing.

 

Myth #8 Try to back away from your attacker.
In life-threatening conflict, if you're not injuring someone, you're getting injured. Backing up or attempting to counter his "technique" with another technique (as is typically taught in self-defense classes) only gets you in more trouble: Your body is a lot better at going forward than it is at going backward; for every two feet you move backward, he can move forward three feet.

 

Myth #9 Hit as often and as quickly as possible.
Punching and kicking are akin to slapping an attacker around. If you're in danger, you need to throw all your weight into a single target, or "strike." Imagine you're facing a giant predator and you have a big sack full of rocks. Throw a single rock and "ouch!" is the only reaction you're likely to get. But swing the entire sack at him, hitting him in the head, and he'll be out cold. That's the difference between punching and striking.

A CRAZY WORKOUT FOR A POWERFUL BACK

The back is one of the largest muscle groups in the body, composed of

 

.Sternum Chin-Ups

This variation of the chin-up involves leaning back throughout the entire movement. In this variation, the lower portion of the chest should touch the bar. As you pull yourself to the bar, have your head lean back as far away from the bar as possible and arch your spine throughout the movement.  Your hips and legs will be at about a 45-degree angle to the floor. You should keep pulling until your collarbone passes the bar and your sternum touches it.

 

 

Seated Rope Cable Rows to Neck

Most people will agree that the vast majority of trainees devote far more time to chest work than to back work. As a result, they start to look like Neanderthals. Seated cable rows to the neck will help balance the equation.

 

Set the adjustable pulley so that it’s directly in front of your pecs. Use a rope—it will reduce the stress on your forearms and wrists and allow you to concentrate on the task at hand (which is upper back work, just in case you forgot).

 

Grab the ends of the rope with a pronated grip. Start with the shoulders protracted and the forearms extended. Begin the movement by retracting the shoulder blades, and immediately bend the elbows to continue the movement until the forearms make contact with the upper arms.

 

Make sure to eliminate the lower back from the equation by keeping it perpendicular to the floor at all times. If the development of your rhomboids is lacking, you may choose to pause for a moment when the shoulder blades are retracted.

 

Narrow Parallel- Grip Chin-Ups

 

Many gyms are equipped with V-handle chin-up stations that are set six to eight inches apart, and this is just about perfect. Focus on bringing your lower sternum to the handles as you pull yourself up. In other words, lean back as you near the top of the concentric range.

 

Since the grip is narrow, the inferior fibers of the latissimus are hugely recruited. These fibers have been shown to have a higher fast-twitch makeup than the superior fibers and, therefore, they should be trained using lower reps.

 

 

9 MYTHS ABOUT FEMALE SELF DEFENSE PT 1

 

Culled from womenshealth magazine.

 

 

Your biggest problem as a woman is not that you may be smaller or weaker than a typical sociopathic criminal. Your biggest obstacle is that you assume a set of potentially life-threatening beliefs about what to do in dangerous situations.

 

Myth #1 You should reason with your attacker.
You've probably never pulled out a knife and demanded someone's watch. That's a good thing, of course, but it illustrates a vital point: Someone who would do such a thing doesn't think like you. Deep down, you probably believe there's a way to resolve a problem without anyone getting hurt. Attackers aren't playing by the same societal rules you are, so you can't react as if they are. All you can ever really do is level the playing field.

 

Myth #2 If you're attacked, scream for help.
You don't have time to wait for a hero. During a truly violent encounter, you have about five seconds to act, and the safest self-defense technique to take in a violent encounter is to cause an injury. Mistakes usually come from some hesitation: pausing to see how things are going, lacking the will to really kick a man, or jumping around in a fighting stance. These are opportunities for him to recover and hurt you. The reverse is also true—if your attacker hesitates or makes a mistake, it gives you a critical moment that you must use to survive.

 

Myth #3 You need to cause pain.
In order to be 100 percent effective, we have to discard the notion of pain as a useful tool in violence. You don't want to "hurt" him; you need to injure him. Anything you do in a violent, life-threatening situation that does not cause an injury is worthless to you.

 

Myth #4 Being fit can save your life.
No matter how fit or strong you are, the best way to hone your self-protection skills is to focus on targeting key points of the body. After that, improving your fitness level can increase the force you deliver to the targets.

 

Myth #5 You need technical self-defense skills.
Technique without injury is only a cool trick, and injury, regardless of how it occurred (with technique or by accident), will always be more effective. It's not important how the injury happens, only that it happens. His ribs don't know if they were broken by a boot, a stick, or a curb; they just know they're broken. All you need is force and a target.

HOW TO EMPOWER WOMEN THROUGH SELF DEFENCE TRAINING

 

I believe it is essential for women to be fearless in order to survive in today’s world. I recently started teaching unarmed combat to a few women from my gym and they have all reported feeling more empowered to negotiate their daily lives after undergoing some sessions of self defence training.

 

Self-defence is a psychological endeavour. Unfortunately, women who come to my classes often feel that they aren't young or fit or flexible enough to defend themselves from attackers. This is the first issue that needs to be addressed, as fear is what the attacker counts on.

 

I usually start by improving the client’s fitness levels and building their confidence alongside. I then repeatedly put them in situations when they are under attack and teach them how to combat the threat. It’s an elaborate process that aims at empowering them, and more often than not, the ladies rapidly rise to the challenge, pushing themselves to levels of performance which they never believed they could achieve.