LOSE THOSE FLABBY ARMS 2!!!

Chair Dips: dips are another common exercise that help develop the triceps, while also working the pectorals and major shoulder muscles. All you need to perform this exercise is an exercise bench or step, though a kitchen chair will also work just fine.

To perform a basic bench dip:

1. Sit up straight on the edge of the bench or chair, extending your legs in front of you and planting you feet firmly on the ground.
2. Firmly grip the edge of the bench or chair, with your fingers facing downwards. Slowly slide your body off the bench, without moving your legs.
3. Slowly lower your body towards the floor, keeping your back straight, until your arms from a 90 degree angle.
4. Push your body back to the original starting position. You have now completed one repetition.

Variations: To increase the difficulty of the bench dip, try propping your feet up on a second exercise bench or chair.

Old school arm circles. Arm circles are a great, easy exercise that can be performed anytime, anywhere, making them a great exercise option for beginners. Arm circles help to tone both your biceps and triceps, while also strengthening the back and shoulders.

To do arm circles:

1. Stand with your feet about a shoulder width apart and extend your arms straight out to the sides, so they’re in line with your shoulders.
2. Begin rotating your arms forward in small, circular motions, without moving your wrists or elbows.
3. After about 20 circles, change direction and begin rotating your arms backwards.

Variations: To increase the intensity of the arm circles, you can rotate your arms faster or use hand weights that are light enough to allow you to do 8-10 rotations.

Targeted bicep curls. Bicep curls are one of the most basic weight lifting exercises, which help you to build arm strength and look good in short sleeves. Bicep curls target the three bicep muscles which control the flexing of your elbow.

To do bicep curls, you will need a set of dumbbell that weigh between 5 and 15 pounds each.

1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and stand up straight with your feet hip width apart.
2. Let your arms hang relaxed at your sides, with your palms facing forward.
3. With your elbows held at your hip bones, slowly raise both weights until your forearms touch your chest.
4. Slowly lower the weights back into the starting position, maintaining tension in your biceps. Make an effort to maintain good posture at all times, with your back straight and stomach pulled in.

Variations: If you are performing this exercise at your local gym, look for an arm-curl machine which will target the exact same muscles as the dumbbells. If you’re doing the exercises at home for the first time, you can also use a standard 15 oz can of beans or peas to perform this exercise.

HOW TO STRIP FAT AND GAIN MUSCLE

 

A common misconception is that you can hit the gym, pile up the weight and create the body you want. You'll need to combine healthy eating with fat-burning aerobic exercise and muscle-building strength training to get solid, lasting results.

 

Here are steps to Stripping that unwanted fat and revealing the smooth, hard muscle mass underneath.

 

 

 

• Ditch liquid calories that come from soda, alcohol, specialty coffees, energy drinks and sugary juices. Replace with water and fresh fruit juices.
 
• Eat nutrient dense foods which are high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants without the added fat, calories and sugar. These food sources are plentiful in Nigeria and include corn, beef, leafy vegetables and tubers.
 
• Eat a lot of protein,
 
• Build muscle with strength-training two to four times a week. You can focus on two or three muscle groups per day or alternate between upper body and lower body workouts. Let your muscles rest for at least 48 hours before training the same muscle group to avoid injury.
 
• Use weights that challenge your body for muscle growth. You should be using a weight with which you can complete at least six repetitions but no more than 12. If you are not able to tire out your muscles within 90 seconds, increase the amount of weight you are using.
 
• Perform at least 150 minutes of cardio exercise each week. Split this time up over several days a week. You can work at a moderate pace for longer periods of time.

15 WEEKS BODY TRANSFORMATION - FREELETICS

When a man takes his destiny into his hands and proceeds to shape himself into whom he wants to be, he ceases to be a mere man, and approaches apotheosis. #LegallyMuscled bites

"A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts."

"As the physically weak man can make himself strong by careful and patient training, so the man of weak thoughts, can make them strong by exercising himself in right thinking."

The Aphrodite workout is the beginners phase of the freeletics workout program. It is helpful if you perform it in a group with other trainees; this keeps you motivated when you start to hurt.

APHRODITE

Your first workout is called Aphrodite. It does not require equipment. There are no mandatory breaks. That means you are supposed to complete the workout without taking breaks - if possible. It is important to complete it in the exact same order as stated below and to work through it as fast as possible. Quitting is not an option.

WORKOUT STRUCTURE

5 Rounds Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5
Burpees     50           40            30          20          10
Squats       50            40            30         20           10
Situps        50            40            30         20           10

BURPEES

Start: Start from a standing position. Knees, hips and shoulders are in a vertical line. Make sure to keep your core tight.

Movement: Make your chest touch the ground. Get back up (however you want to, not necessarily a strict push-up) and perform a jump – both feet have to leave the ground, knees, hips and shoulders have to be in a vertical line and the hands have to touch behind the head.

End: When your feet touch the ground again, one repetition is completed.

Modified version: If burpees are too difficult or become too difficult during the workout, do the modified version:

Move into the push-up position without touching the ground with your chest.

SQUATS

Start: Start from a standing position. Knees, hips and shoulders are in a vertical line.

Movement: Lower your hips below your knees.

End: Return to starting position to complete one repetition.

Additional remarks: Make sure to keep your weight on your heels, your chest up and your back flat. Push your knees out and keep your torso as vertical as possible.

Modified version: If squats are too difficult or become too difficult during the workout, do the modified version:

Lower your hips as far as you can instead of lowering them below your knees.

SITUPS

Start: Start from a sitting position. Both of your hands touch the ground in front of your feet.

Movement: Move your torso downwards and touch the ground behind your head with both hands.

End: Return to starting position to complete one repetition.

Additional remarks: Your butt may never leave the ground. Make sure too keep your core tight.

Modified version: If situps are too difficult or become too difficult during the workout, do the modified version: Touch your knees instead of the ground in front of your feet.

WORKLOAD
In general, we recommend you to train Freeletics at least four times per week. Since this is your first week, three times is fine as well.
Freeletics is really tough, especially at the beginning. Workout times exceeding an hour are totally normal. Also, don’t be discouraged if you can’t make the workload from day one. It is all part of the process. You will improve much faster than you think.

Your fastest time is called personal best (PB). If you complete a workout without a single modified repetition, the workout time receives a star (*). Star times are always ranked before workout times without a star, even if they are slower.

We recommend you to warm-up before every training session and to stretch afterwards. Jogging, jumping jacks, arm circles, light stretching and the like are suitable to warm-up.

Please take a picture of your body before you train Freeletics the first time. Take a new one every ten days. Pictures are important to evaluate physical changes. Since you only change a little every day, you will not be able to track your progress properly without pictures.

Have fun in your first week as Free Athletes!

Freeletics Instructor Team

 

FITNESS MOTIVATION PINS

Source: Pinterest.com
 

Staircase exercises that blast your hips, butt and thighs

What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger....

You can get the same benefits at home as you would in a step aerobics class at the gym. If you have a staircase in your home, you can get a great workout by simply climbing the stairs.

To start, stand at the bottom of the stairs and walk in place for about one minute to get your leg muscles warmed up.

Next, step up onto the first stair, and then back down. Repeat this move on the first stair only ten times. Walk in place for fifteen seconds.

Next, walk up the first two stairs, and then back down, then walk up one stair and back down. Repeat ten times. Then go up three stairs, come down, walk up two stairs, come down, and walk up one stair and come down. Repeat ten times. Continue the pattern up ten stairs. You will definitely feel the burn by the end of this step routine.

I don't recommend going up more than ten stairs because it will get tricky to walk back down after that point. If you feel winded or dizzy, start slow. Stick with the first three stairs, and gradually build up your endurance over the weeks and months to come.

I WANT KILLER CALVES!!!!!!

Calf muscles can be difficult to develop for a couple of reasons. One reason is because of the individual’s genetics. Some people are built with very lean muscles that take a great deal of work to get them to grow. The other reason is because calf muscles are basically programmed into a certain state due to our using them to walk our entire lives. It can take a great deal of intense training to get them to respond.

The two main muscles groups which are developed through calf exercises are the soleus which is a flat, wide muscle that lays against the bone and the gastrocnemius, which consists of two larger bulging muscles which are located on top of the soleus. Both groups of muscles are used to bend the feet and toes. However, the soleus requires a bend of at least 30 degrees before it can be completely contracted.

Since calve muscles are strong and dense, they respond best to first performing high reps and then low reps. Therefore, begin by completing at least 15 reps for  one set and then 5-10 reps for  another set of the following calf exercises. You will do 2 sets of each for a total of 4 sets.

Leg Calf Raises

This calf exercise will strengthen the gastrocnemius muscles.

While holding onto something to maintain balance, step onto a calf block, or some object which allows you to extend down for a full range when on the balls of your feet, and allow your heels to hang off the edge. Keeping your legs straight, slowly lower yourself down as far as possible. Hold this position for a moment and then slowly raise back up as high as you can while on the balls of your feet and toes. Hold for a moment and repeat.

You can also perform this exercise on one leg to further develop your calf muscles individually as you will be placing your total body weight on one calf at a time. 

Donkey Calf Raises

This exercise primarily works the gastrocnemius muscles and secondarily the soleus muscles.

Stand on a raised block with the balls of your feet and your legs spread shoulder width apart. Bend over to form a 90° angle, resting your hands on a weight bench or chair. A training partner will then sit on your hips like they’re riding a donkey. Lower yourself down as far as you can and hold for a moment. Slowly lift yourself back up and as high as you can on the balls of your feet and toes. Hold a moment and repeat.

Standing Calf Raises

This is one of the common calf exercises for developing the gastrocnemius muscles which utilizes a weighted machine designed specifically for calf workouts. This exercise can be done with both legs or only one leg. Also, if you don’t have access to a machine, you can do this calf exercise with a weighted barbell held across your shoulders.

Add the desired amount of weight to the calf raise machine. Step onto the foot block, place your head between the shoulder pads and secure your shoulders under the pads. With the balls of your feet on the block, straighten your legs up as far as you can and hold for a moment. Then slowly lower your legs down as far as you can and hold. Repeat.

  

Seated Calf Raises

This is another calf exercise machine designed for primarily working out the soleus muscles of the leg while providing secondary stress to the gastrocnemius muscles. If you do not have access to a machine, you can complete this exercise by sitting on a weight bench with a weighted barbell laid across your knees. You should wrap the barbell in a towel for comfort.

Add the desired amount of weight to the calf exercise machine. Sit on the machine and situate your knees so they are secure and comfortable against the knee pads. With the balls of your feet on the foot block, raise your legs as far as you can on the balls of your feet and toes. Hold for a moment and slowly lower your heels down as far as possible. Hold for a moment and repeat.

Add these calf exercises into your weight training program and you will have killer calves to balance out the ripped look of your lower body.