As a follow up to last week’s introduction to Kayla Itsines’ Bikini Body Guide, here’s a sweet review of Kayla’s new app designed offer a supportive community for those trying to get off the couch and start moving. At Project Swole we’re not limited to our hardcore attitude. We care more about getting couch potatoes off their butt and excising, than we do about everyone deadlifting 700 lbs.
Sweat with Kyla!
Have you heard of the latest Sweat with Kayla app by Kayla Itsines? If you haven’t, then you should read this to learn how it may help you!
The market is saturated with fitness programs each claiming that they are the end all be all of fitness. Many of them are very similar, offering variations on the same exercise moves and advice. So it makes sense to be skeptical when you come across yet another workout app, but the Sweat with Kayla Itsines app really is something different. (more…)
You might have been doing fitness exercises you think are effective in achieving your fitness goals. The truth is that they might do the opposite. It is time to straighten up the facts and reject the myths that could have impeded your goal all these years.
Crunches are effective ab exercises You might have heard several times the advice that you must do crunches in order to bring out those abs. The truth is that they only work if done properly. If not, crunches could just lead to neck and back problems, and a potential spine injury. This exercise also doesn’t target general weight loss which is essential for ab formation.
Sweating means losing weight You might say that you have worked really hard to achieve a great body because you are sweating. This is not necessarily the right way to gauge the effectiveness of your exercise techniques. Sweating is a bodily response to cool your body down. It can be affected by other factors like the weather or physiology. Therefore, you must not presume that you are losing weight or you are doing the right exercises if you are sweating.
Staying longer at the gym helps achieve your fitness goals faster The number of hours you stay in the gym does not determine the effectiveness of your workout techniques. It also has something to do with what you do at the gym. If you stay there and sit for several minutes while taking selfie instead of lifting weights, then it is pretty useless. It is better for you to stay for 30 minutes to 1 hour only as long as you do intense exercises. You can also try high intensity workout training to maximize results.
Eating late at night can make you fat This is not necessarily true. Your body can’t tell the time. It processes calories at the same rate at any point during the day. The issue is on what type of food you eat at night. You might have the tendency to eat less during the day and make it up during the night. As a result, you eat a lot of processed and unhealthy dishes. This is something that you have to avoid. These are foods that are difficult to digest. If you sleep after eating, then the food that you have eaten could get stuck in your body in the form of fats. You also have to take note that eating at night has other unhealthy consequences such as difficulty in sleeping and acid reflux.
“Diet” foods are healthier You might fall for ads saying certain products are “diet” foods. This includes crackers, soda, dairy products and many others. Just because you have read the word diet on it does not mean it is healthy. It might be deemed as healthy due to the low calorie content. The truth is that in order for them to make it up for the bland taste, they need to add more artificial sweeteners and chemicals. You might have less calorie intake, but it could lead to other health issues. In short, it is not necessarily an effective way to lose weight. The key is to eat regular foods in moderation.
It is indeed surprising to see that the facts that we were made to believe were true, are in fact pure myths. Therefore, you need to start changing your diet and exercise plans now. In case you wonder why you still don’t achieve your fitness goals despite everything that you have done, then this could be the main reason. You are doing your exercise routines the wrong way or you are eating the wrong types of foods. You need to plan your meals better the next time around and understand the science behind every exercise routine before doing it.
A muscle cramp can be a serious buzzkill when you are dialed in on a workout. Or worse, they can be an unwanted and painful wake up call in the middle of the night. So how can you prevent these awful knots in your muscles from occurring? While proper hydration and sleep are important factors, your nutrition habits can have a huge impact on preventing cramps. Foods rich in potassium, sodium, magnesium, Vitamin D, and calcium help your muscles function properly and prevent muscle cramps. Potassium is an electrolyte that your body sweats out when you exercise. Lack of potassium is one of the leading causes of muscle cramping. Those taking diuretic supplements have higher tendencies for potassium deficiencies and should be especially aware of their intake efforts.
Sodium is another important electrolyte your body needs for optimum performance. While too much sodium can be a problem, most people forget to make sure they have enough when exercising. You lose it quickly when you sweat and need to make sure you’re replenishing these levels or you may experience harsh side effects like nausea and vomiting. (more…)
Burning fat can be tough, there’s so many things you have to keep track of if you want to do it effectively. There’s calories to count, workouts to perform and even macronutrients to balance.
But there are ways to make things easier. Simple additions you can incorporate into your lifestyle to start seeing faster results.
< Here at Project Swole we show you the simplest ways to burn fat faster by following these simple methods. If you’re struggling to lose those stubborn extra pounds, this is the article you need to read:
1. Drinking Green Tea
When cutting fat, people think a lot more about what they eat, rather than what they drink – and that’s a big problem. Sodas, beer, and even fruit tea can contain huge amounts of calories, and can easily go against all that hard word you’ve been putting into your diet.
So what’s the solution? Green Tea.One of the better beverages for fat loss, Green tea is full of antioxidants, contains next to no calories, and it accelerates fat loss.
If you truly want to become fit, there is more to it than just jogging or doing a few sit up every day. As a matter of fact, the food you eat can also cause you not to be fit. The best way to do this is to hire a personal trainer than will help you get a handle on your diet and what you need to know about nutrition in order to become healthier and fit while losing weight or just toning your body.
A personal trainer will not only help you learn about nutrition, but will start you on a fitness program that will fit your own personal goals. Some people without specialized diet requirements may need to hire a personal nutritionist as well, but many trainers, as I personally did, also receive certifications in sports nutrition and other nutritional disciplines in order to offer the most effective diet advice possible and in some cases even write personalized nutrition plans.
In the majority of cases, you will need to start out slow both with diet and exercise, especially if you have not exercised or followed a health eating plan in a very long time. The good news is that you can choose a private, semi-private or group training session so you can train along with a friend and not feel so alone. On the other hand, if you want to work alone with a trainer that can also be accomplished.
Improve your health and fitness by paying proper attention to your body. A human cannot remain fit until & unless he/she is not taking seriously to fulfill the criteria to remain fit and active. Staying healthy is an important factor in human life to live a long life. Physical and mental both types of aspects greatly affect the performance of human activities. How to improve your health is not much difficult, the best way to improve your health is a special focus on your health by adding new changes in your daily life.
Overweight is not a suitable plan to meet the fit body requirements. It is to recommend that you can improve your health and can reduce weight in many ways. Significant decisions making about treatment provides the best source and the authentic action plan which helps the patients to follow a certain health plan and focus on health management strategies to remain active. Overweight looks not attractive and it creates lots of difficulties for the infected patient.
An interesting fitness trend that I’ve seen popping up in since around 2010, is the idea of betting on yourself to lose weight. Say you want to lose 25 lbs in 6 months. You might bet $200 on the goal and when you accomplish it, you collect $400.
That’s a win-win situation, and will help to hold you more accountable for attaining your goals. Who wouldn’t want to lose weight and gain money, at the same time?!
Don’t get the wrong idea, this is not an industry full of gamblers and junkies – in fact it’s just the opposite! These websites and applications offer a social point for each individual to share his or her progress, they offer camaraderie and inspiration that you may never have had nor felt before. Diet betting communities allow you to connect with like minded folks who are committed to succeeding at the same goals as yourself.
Before you gamble WITH your life, gamble FOR your life. Winners on average lose about ten pounds and double their initial investment. Over 40% of participants usually win something and always lose at least a little weight.
There are even incentives for participants to stay healthy. In some cases you become disqualified if you lose too much weight. Dangerous weight loss behavior is flagged for losing, for example, more than 12% of their body mass in 4 weeks.
If you’ve never kept a blog before, the idea of documenting your fitness progress online could seem a little daunting. In fact, to some, blogging itself may seem somewhat intimidating or confusing. But, blogging is actually quite easy – especially with the help of user-friendly blogging platforms such as WordPress. The best part is that a blog is actually a wonderful fitness tool because it allows you to document your progress and motivates you to keep going. It also doesn’t hurt that you can make money blogging, turning your fitness or health blog into a full-time job. After all, who doesn’t want to turn their passion into a business?
Starting a Weight-Loss Blog
More and more people are realizing the benefits of documenting their weight loss progress on public platforms such as social media or blogs. Learning how to start a lifestyle blog is a great choice, as it gives you complete freedom to write stories and include information about how you’re feeling, which recipes you’ve tried, new workouts that you’ve had a go at in the gym or even display before and after pictures and progress pictures of yourself fitting into clothing two sizes smaller. (more…)
Among the top pre workout supplements, Citrulline Malate is a supplement that provides amazing benefits in the world of athletes and bodybuilders. This supplement originates from the vital amino acid citrulline, which is produced when amino acid ornithine and carbamoyl phosphate is combined. This process occurs when the body disposes of nitrogen waste. On the other hand, malate (or malic acid) is a salt compound found in some fruits. This combination makes up citrulline malate.
Using Citrulline Malate Pre Workout
When citrulline malate is taken 20-40 minutes before a workout or weight training session, it improves overall performance and increased stamina. A citrulline malate study done by the Journal of Strength and Conditional Research shows a significant increase in strength a quarter of the way through a workout by 18%. Toward the end of the workout, participants’ strength increased by 53%. This enhances overall performance and allows for swift recovery in between workouts and many other benefits.
Benefits of Using Citrulline Malate During Workouts
Additional benefits of Citrulline Malate include reduced fatigue and improved aerobic performance. European studies show an increased reduction in physical and mental fatigue. This supplement allows for more intense training as it provides energy (increases ATP production by up to 30%) and a metabolism boost for heavy work-out sessions and fast recovery. Citrulline malate relaxes the blood vessels which leads to fuller looking muscles. It’s been clinically shown to help support lean muscle mass gains. It also includes the ability to decrease overall body fat. Some additional benefits include improved memory, increased mental alertness and overall clarity. It has the tendency to leave users feeling strong, well-relaxed and have an overall sense of well-being. (more…)
A major topic in sports medicine is understanding how drugs can effect athletic performance and how to avoid unwanted complications. Many drugs have side effects that might be exaggerated by strenuous exercise.
Prescription drugs are controlled because of their side effects. The topic can be divided into drugs that affect the body versus drugs that affect the mind.
Pain Killers
Mood altering drugs and pain killers, like NSAIDS, can affect performance. A person who is advised to avoid driving or operating machinery should also be careful around exercise equipment and free weights. These count as heavy machinery, so any drugs that affect coordination should make a person rethink some of the exercises that they do.
A power step machine is safer than running on a treadmill, and weight lifting machines are safer than free weights.
Blood Pressure
Drugs that affect blood pressure might disqualify a person from intense cardio. Some people need medicine that raises their blood pressure, but cardio further increases blood pressure. Someone suffering from high blood pressure as a disease is also at risk. It is better to ask a doctor for a routine and stick to walking until then. (more…)
You’re fit as a fiddle, bulkier than Hulk Hogan in his prime, and a better cook than Gordon Ramsay – don’t you want to share your knowledge with the world?
Private gyms are attracting more members than ever, partly thanks to a proliferation of budget deals and a newfound respect for a healthy lifestyle. Many folks the world over have recently become fitness fanatics and it’s pushing the demand for private gym instructors to a record high.
Like pull ups, heavy rows are one of the best exercises to train your back. The king of rowing exercises is the standing barbell row, but the problem is that too few people perform them properly. You might see the following common technique flaws in people executing barbell rows:
momentum – using the posterior chain to generate momentum, instead of using the muscles of the back and arms
rounded back – weakness in the lower back or hip tightness can cause your lower back to round, which is bad for the spine
standing upright – you have to bend over nearly parallel to the floor in order to work the upper back properly
As I mentioned last week, you can fix all of these issues by switching from barbell rows to inverted rows, or you can learn how to perform barbell rows correctly.
Let’s talk about how we can best use barbell rows in our training routines.
Are you in the market to gain muscle? Building some hardcore muscle—without gaining fat along with it—is easier than you might think.
Here are some tips to start building muscle today.
Pump Up With Protein
Because muscle fibers are made up of many different proteins, protein is the #1 necessary ingredient to build muscle.
One study found participants who ate 20 grams protein every 3 hours significantly increased muscle building potential, compared with those who ate 40 g every 6 hours. [1] So, eating good amounts of protein throughout the day feeds muscles and keeps them raring to go.
The ideal daily protein intake is about 1 g protein per pound body weight. [2] So, a 200-pound man should eat about 200 g protein a day. Of course, this differs depending on individual needs.
The best high protein foods to eat are chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef, eggs, beans, nuts, milk, and cheese. [2]
Many bodybuilders also use protein supplements, which provide a heavy dose of pure protein. Whey protein powder is generally the best choice because it has high protein content and lots of muscle-building branched chain amino acids. [3]
Be careful, though. Protein shouldn’t make up more than 30% of your caloric intake. Too much protein increases risk of kidney problems, dehydration, and other issues. [4]
I recently made a post on how to exercise while traveling. Below you will find a few ideas that you can perform. These can be done at home as well, which can save you a ton of cash in gym memberships.
You won’t get nearly the results you’d get from training regularly with real free weight equipment, but certainly it works in a pinch.
Lunges – Take a step forward, bend the front leg until your thigh is parallel with the ground, and step back. Repeat on the other side. Be careful not to come down hard on the knee of the back leg.
Chair Dips – Sit on the edge of a chair, with your legs straight out in front with your knees locked. Place a hand directly under each cheek, and scoot your bottom off of the chair. Slowly lower your body, and when you have gone down as far as you feel comfortable, push yourself back to the top.
Jump Squats – Bend at the knees, back straight, eyes looking ahead. Touch your hands just below the knees, and jump straight up. Land softly, and repeat.
Push-ups – Laying face first on the floor, place your hands on either side of you chest. Keeping your legs, and back straight, push yourself straight up off of the floor. After you have reached the top, lower yourself down.
Planks– Start off in a push-up position, except this time place your elbows, resting on your forearms. Simply hold this position for 30-60 seconds.
There you have it. Do two to three sets of this routine, with 10-15 reps per set, and you have just done a body weight routine that will build muscle and tone up what you already have.
Becoming a personal trainer is something that only a select few are suited for. For one thing, it’s not enough to simply enjoy physical fitness yourself, although that is certainly a prerequisite if you want a career you love. You will need to exhibit specific strengths (pardon the pun) in order to excel in such a field.
You’ll definitely have to be committed to keeping yourself in shape; after all, who wants to listen to a personal trainer that isn’t fit? That’s like trusting a driving instructor that’s never been behind the wheel of a car. However, you also need to have the right disposition. If people want to be barked at and ordered around, they’ll join a boot camp class.
It’s the job of a personal trainer to motivate, not command. You need to be patient and nurturing and employ excellent communication skills. And above all, you have to be passionate about helping others become the best version of themselves. But you also need a fair amount of training under your own belt before you can train others if you don’t want to push them too far or cause undue physical harm. As a result, it may take you a little time to become a personal trainer.
Reprinted from the April online issue of IN THE ZONE, we drop in on IFBB Professional Bodybuilder, Mark Dugdale. In addition to being a bodybuilder, Mark is also a successful business owner (actually, he owns three), husband, father, and all around nice guy. Brought to you courtesy of Robert Kennedy Publications and Musclemag International.
When you finally decide that you’re fed up with making the trek to your local gym every day and dealing with hassles like waiting in line to use equipment or getting bumped in classes that are overly full, not to mention paying for the pricy monthly membership, you might be ready to set up your own home gym facility. And if you have an extra bedroom, an open basement, or other unused space, you’re already ahead of the game. With some good lighting and a couple of full-length mirrors in place you can start assembling the equipment you need to make a home fitness center that is suited to meet your particular needs. But don’t get ahead of yourself; fitness equipment is not cheap. Luckily, you don’t necessarily have to buy everything brand new. In order to spare expense you might want to consider buying some items used. You’ll simply have to put some thought into the pros and cons of new versus used gym equipment.
If you’re interested in bulking up, then you may be aware of the fact that you need to change your approach to both diet and exercise. Although the fitness portion won’t be easy, you probably know that you need to start a program of weight training that involves scheduled increases in order to gain muscle mass. On the diet front, however, you may not have a very good idea of how to go about bulking without gaining fat in the process.
If you’re cooking for someone whose goal is to bulk, all you need to worry about is making that healthy food taste great. While I don’t have to time type out all of my recipes today, here are at least some tips to get started.
You’ll almost certainly have to increase caloric intake, but it doesn’t take a genius to know that adding high-calorie foods isn’t enough; they have to be the right foods. Donuts and soda aren’t going to cut it, even if they can help you to more easily reach your caloric goals. For this reason, you need to create a fitness-friendly diet that delivers the nutritious balance required to help you create the bodybuilding physique you crave. Here are just a few tips for your kitchen that will have you cooking like a pro and help you to reach your goals in no time.
We all have hectic schedules. That is just how our modern society is. Finding time to take care of ourselves sometimes takes a backseat.
Of all daily activities, fitness is often the priority that is sacrificed first when the going gets tough. If you have desire to get or stay fit, you can do it. There is always a way if there is a will.
Here are some ideas to help squeeze in some exercise that will not have a light impact on your schedule, but will also help you burn fat throughout the rest of the day.
Plan your workout: Write it all down, and know exactly what you are going to do, and how you will get it done.
Circuit training: Work the whole body and get the heart rate rocking by doing one set of exercise for each body part with no rest. When you have completed all, rest for one minute and do it again. Twenty minutes is not an unreasonable goal here.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): Sixty minutes on the treadmill will drive anybody mad. Vary your speed every minute, working from a jog (slow/medium intensity) to a full sprint or at least 90% max intensity. A good rule of thumb is to maintain your sprint for 20-30 seconds, then reduce to Every five minutes, drop back down to the slow speed again. Twenty to thirty minutes of this will do the trick.
There is no excuse to slack off on exercise. Project Swole has just given you two workouts that when alternated will whip your body into shape in no time at all. Think about it, if you do this six days per week, you only spent a grand total of three hours out of your busy schedule for the whole week.
There are two common comments that I hear from people that want to start on a fitness program. They can not afford to go to a gym. They do not know where to start. Probably the best way to start involves no equipment and very little space. In other words, you can do it at home, in the park, whatever. Bodyweight exercises are just what they sound like; exercises that use your own body’s weight for resistance.
When used with no rest from one exercise to the next, not only can you get great resistance training, but fantastic cardio as well.
Below is an example of a workout that involves nothing but your own will and weight (and maybe a watch). If you are a beginner, do this one time through, three times a week.
For instance, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The next week, try doing it two times through on those days. Then Four times per session.
