Posts Tagged ‘exercise’

Cellulite Cream and Treatment for the Perfect Body

Monday, January 5th, 2009
by Ila Moave

One of the most popular cellulite treatments is a cellulite cream. There are hundreds of different creams available that will help dissolve the cellulite and will make the skin firmer and smoother. The main advantage of using a lotion or cream is that you can avoid using a surgical option.

If you have ever suffered from cellulite then you know that it is when the skin gets a dimpled look. Often it is seen on the stomach, thighs, hips or buttocks. However, others areas on the body can be affected by it. The condition is embarrassing for many women who tend to avoid swimsuits or short clothing to cover up their affected areas.

There is a thin layer of fat underneath the skin which consists of honeycomb like pockets of fat. Sometimes this honeycomb structure weakens and the fat bulges from the pockets. The dimpling of the skin above - called cellulite - starts. As fluid and toxins continue to build the cellulite becomes increasingly worst.

A genetic predisposition is one of the main reasons for the occurrence of cellulite. Other factors include aging, smoking, alcohol, a bad diet or too much fat. Dehydration can worsen the condition because the skin will lose is strength and therefore dimpling is more likely. Also, if you are overweight you are more likely to have cellulite because there if more fat inside your body.

A good cellulite treatment will help target the cause of the condition. That is, it will aid the body to dissolve the fat from underneath the skin, increase the collage and elastic strength of the skin while increasing the skin’s hydration and firmness.

When examining the ingredient of a particular cream you will want to make sure that they are known to help the condition. Coffee, green tea and seaweed are well known to help reduce cellulite fat deposits. Emu oil is known to improve the firmness and smoothness of the skin and has been used by Australian aboriginals for centuries to improve skin health.

Aloe Vera and Aloe leaf are well known natural ingredients which have anti-cellulite properties. Made made ingredients can include hyaluronic and matrixyl. Both are know to moisturize and strengthen the skin.

It is important that you fully investigate the ingredients of a cream to ensure that you are getting value for money. If you are unsure there are many resources on the internet that can help you.

Cellulite cream is only just one treatment which is available to treat this condition. Other treatments can include massage, laser therapy, radio waves and wraps. These may also be worth a look.

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How To Get Strong, Build Muscle and Lose Fat With Only A Barbell

Monday, January 5th, 2009
by Caleb Lee

I had a subscriber who inquired:

“Is it possible to build strength, put on muscle and burn off fat if I don’t have a power rack and I only have access to a barbell? Not even an Olympic barbell, but one of those old crappy cement filled barbell sets”

I know exactly the weights this guy is talking about. I think most of us grew up with them right? They were basically cement weights covered in plastic, and over time the plastic busted up and the cement started to get busted underneath remember?

I believe I’m showing my age :)
To cut a long story short…

Of course! Why not?! You can absolutely build strength and power with an outdated equipment!

You just need someone to show you how. Luckily you met me. And luckily I just read most of Dan John’s awesome “From the Ground Up”.

In this brilliant little ebook Dan John defines the “Rapid Ascent Program”, which made up of three exercises:

1. Power Clean

2. Military Press

3. Squat Move

And here’s how you did the program (from his book):

“The program was very simple. First, groups of four boys were given a bar. The bars were weighted from very lightmaybe 25 poundsup to perhaps close to 100 pounds. Each cohort of boys would lift one at a time, put the bar down, then the next boy would lift. The four would constantly move from lifter to watcherthe bar never stopped. The three sets (explained in just a moment) would not take very longin fact, sometimes it was hard to catch your breath in time for your next set.

The repetitions were very easy

* First set: 8 repetitions

* Set #2: 6 reps

* Set #3: 4 reps

The goal was simple: once you got all 18 reps (8+6+4), you added weight. If you started with a bar that was excessively light, the succeeding workout, you would be bumped up to the next weight and a stronger group. (Needless to say, actual variations could include making a whole new group with more weight, tooor whatever necessary to make the group work together).”

Seems easy doesn’t it?

That’s the advantage of this program!

You don’t need lots of equipment to build a hard body with muscles of steel… all while increasing your cardiovascular fitness and knocking out fat.

What you DO need is a little “do or die” point of view. You should make a decision you certainly WANT to attain your fitness goals, then you’ll find a way to make use of whatever equipment you have available to make it happen.

I love program in view of the fact that it follows the DoubleYourGains’ philosophy of training movement patterns rather than a bunch of exercises. The Rapid Ascent program has a press move (military press), a pull move (power clean), a squat move (front squat) and an explosive/hamstring move (power clean).

How to carry out the “Rapid Ascent” program for cardio and fat loss:

Coach Dan highlights that you could also acquire a great cardio workout and nuke some fat:

“To “hurry up” the trainingas if it was required, there were times when Mr. Freeman advised bringing together the Power Clean and Military Pressesone clean and one press, repeated for a total of eight reps. This was completed with a lighter weight. One could also execute the Front Squats after the clean and presses, too. I have only done this onceand it was an incredible cardiovascular exercise.”

So if you think you don’t have enough equipment to get into great shape and achieve your fitness goals you are wrong. You are wrong. You are wrong.

In fact, you don’t even need a barbell. You can get underway with the DoubleYourGains’ bodyweight program. You can do pullups on your door frame (for extra strong fingers) or just grab the top of a door and go to town (or a tree limb, anything you can hang from, etc) Have faith in me, if THAT workout gets easy for you - you will be a certified STUD.

And, the minute you gain access to a good Olympic barbell set you can start the DoubleYourGains’ 3-5 Program.

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PC Dieting Software Can Help You Lose Weight

Saturday, January 3rd, 2009
by Harry Jonsonap George Johsonap Sally Johsonap William Johnsonap Laurence Johnsonap

Dieting is a multi-billion dollar business. Even most obesity researchers are funded by the diet industry. Dieting is the same thing. Here is the one big difference. Dieting is at an all time low. NPD said recently that just 26% of women are dieting - along with 16% of men.

There’s many ways to diet but what is the best dieting approach? One popular approach today is using PC dieting software. One of the most effective dieting programs on the market today is called Diet Power because the program can be used based on any of the popular dieting programs- or not using any og those programs at all.

One of Diet Power’s strong points is that it keeps track of nutrients so you can get the right nutrients to fight various diseases including heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, and other ailments.

The way Diet Power works is that it looks at your personal metabolism and tailors your calorie budget to that metabolism. It “watches” your recorded weight over time and provides advice to make sure you reach your target wright on schedule.

By metabolism we mean the number of calories your body needs for maintaining your current weight. For an average 150-pound person, this might be 2000 calories per day. Your metabolism may differ by as much as 30 percent from the norm, however. If youre on the low end of the range, eating those 2000 calories will make you gain 63 pounds a year.

Even worse, everyone’s metabolism changes often. Metabolism climbs or lowers as you gain or you lose weight, change your diet, take certain prescription drugs, vary your exercise approach, or if you get sick. For women, matabolism changes occur related to your menstrual cycle.

Despite these fluctuations, all weight-loss programs assume that your metabolism is average”except for Diet Power.

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Age is Not an Excuse

Monday, December 29th, 2008
by Ike Lowe

Factually speaking, as we age, our bodies change. As the change to our bodies become more apparent, we now have to worry about places of stored fat that we didn’t have to worry about before.

Your digestive system efficiency changes when your metabolic rate slows.

Hormonal changes in the body can also affect the shape that you are in but there is one thing that always remains the same at all ages - If you eat too much food and drink too much alcohol you will gain weight.

Many people use their age as an excuse for being over weight but this is not acceptable. Consider how many elderly people there are who are still slim, fit and healthy and you will see that age is not an excuse.

We abuse our bodies with the poor lifestyle choices we make. As we age, the poor lifestyle choices multiply and the end results are; overweight and other related health problem brought on by poor nutrition.

Throughout your life, you should maintain your fat percentage at an optimum level. By doing so, the health benefits are large like; a better quality of life, reduced dependence on medications and save money on costly medications and avoiding other health related problems as you age.

Anyone at any age can benefit from improved nutrition and exercise.

You will live longer and happier by reducing the excess levels in your body fat.

You can turn back your body clock by beginning an exercise program coupled with an improvement in your nutritional intake. The most important part is getting started and the sooner you start the better.

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Build Muscle and Burn Fat with HIIT

Thursday, December 25th, 2008
by Jared Conley

I bet you’ve heard it repeatedly: you can’t build muscle up and burn fat at the same time. They say that building mass involves an increase in calories, while fat burning involves a decrease in calories. This old school wisdom is based partially in fact, but the concepts are being tossed on their ears with insights into interval-based workouts. The fact is, you can accomplish muscle weight gain at the same time as you burn fat if you add intervals to your workouts.

Interval training isn’t completely new, but it’s more widely understood, accepted, and used these days. While traditional aerobic training were looked at as the only efficient ways to burn fat, and the only effective workouts for endurance athletes, high intensity interval training (HIIT) has been shown to be advantageous to athletes of all types, and for people with all types of goals.

Standard cardio activity is often referred to as “steady state,” which essentially means that you work up to a certain intensity level and maintain that level throughout the training session. During the training session, your body gets 50 percent of its energy through your fat stores, and gets the remainder through your oxygen system, and by dipping into your glycogen and muscle deposits.

HIIT sessions, conversely, consist of short high intensity intervals followed by moderate intensity recovery periods. HIIT sessions spare your muscles and are quick, but are killer. A fifteen-minute HIIT workout can raise your resting metabolic rate for a full 24 hours, enabling you to continue burning higher levels of fat for up to a day.

On top of this, because your muscles consume calories during every minute of the day, the more lean mass you have, the more fat you burn, even while you’re sleeping. Because HIIT not only spares your muscle, but also helps you build muscle up, your future fat burning ability is increased.

The bottom line is that regardless of your fitness goals, HIIT workouts can help you improve your overall fitness level in very short sessions. Better still, if your goals include muscle gain and fat burning, adding HIIT to your weekly workouts is a no-brainer.

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Why Building Strength Should Be Your Number One Goal

Wednesday, December 24th, 2008
by Caleb Lee

If you are wondering why I deal with strength training seriously and think you should too therefore this article will tell you why.

Read this article right away to find a number of good reasons why I think building strength should be your most important goal (although you just want to build mega-muscles and nuke lots of fat)…

1. Strength Training Is More Functional:

Ever needed to lift somewhat heavy? Move fixtures? Lift your girlfriend up and pin her against the wall for a sizzling make out session? All those things required strength, not necessarily muscle size.

Actually, at times having extra muscle is not beneficial - it weighs more as a result if you have to run or walk long distances takes additional calories to sustain, in short you have to eat further…

2. Building Strength Takes a Lesser Amount Of Time:

Majority of expert weightlifters spend up to 6 days in the gym and some even do twice a day workouts. If you’re like me (or most people) therefore lifting weights isn’t your permanent job.

You can turn into super strong training 3-4 days a week, and spend not greater than 20-30 minutes in the gym each time - DoubleYourGains’ 3-5 Program takes 30mins/3x week. That means you could be consuming 2 hours in the gym vs. 12. It doesn’t take long to improve strength.

3. Building Strength Is Inspiring:

Most people don’t have any goals when they go to the gym, they think “I want to look better” but that’s vague and undefined. Knowing you want to add 5lbs to your deadlift every time you go into the gym though is VERY motivating.

What’s more, observing the weights build and seeing how far you’ve developed over the course of time is very motivating and makes you want to keep coming back to the gym.

4. Strength Makes It Easier To Build Size:

Most bodybuilders today don’t understand that guys like Arnold and bodybuilders from his day all did powerlifting routines early in their careers to build high starting levels of strength and power.

They had a exceptional “dense” look to their physiques from all this heavy weight training. And were able to make use of heavier weights when it came to doing outdated bodybuilding style set/rep schemes - so it was much easier for these strong lifters to build muscle.

5. Better For Health:

There’s been many contemporary research that shows strength training helps to avoid age related diseases and deteriorating diseases.

To sum up: Losing muscle mass is an expected upshot of aging, but strength training in particular will tell your body to “hold on” to muscle mass as it needs it to continue lifting weighty stuff.

Besides, your bones will grow stronger too to support your framework of muscle mass.

6. Improves Self-Confidence

There’s nothing better than KNOWING you can lift a heavy weight off the floor or press a heavy weight up on top of your head. Or knowing that you have the strength to pull yourself up and over a wall up and over the edge of a cliff and things like that.

Knowing you are as strong as you look is a major confidence booster.

7. Strength Training Is Better For Sports

Strength is the basis for all other physical qualities. Increasing your strength increases your power, explosiveness, speed, agility, endurance, etc

What’s more, several sports - mainly martial arts - require athletes to have high relative strength. They need to be immensely strong for their size for they have to stay within a specific weight class.

There’s nothing worse than acquiring 20 MORE pounds of muscle you have to carry down the field, or move around the ring to avoid getting knocked out - and that 20 pounds of muscle is not doing you any good.

8. Strength Training Is Great For Women

The majority of women don’t want to seem like the hulk. They don’t want to acquire 20 pounds of muscle. They just want to get “toned”. As I mentioned in the past, strength training is the ultimate way to get the toned look.

So if you’re a girl you can get strong very quickly and improve your health and quality of life without taking away from your femininity in the least.

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No Pain While You Exercise to Build Muscle

Wednesday, December 24th, 2008
by Caleb Lee

Everyone wonders how to exercise to build muscle, but eliminate the pain they get after the workout for a day or two after.

Here is how you can build muscle faster, while also taking out the pain in working out and rebuilding muscle.

Most of these concepts are related to basic knowledge of working out, however they must be incorporated in to your work out, or you will still feel the burn.

You really need to keep your workouts short. The first hour of your workout is the best to build muscle as you have fresh energy and oxygen in your blood. This means, try to get your workouts done within the first hour. Your workouts don’t have to be long to be significant. After an hour, your body will start to develop lactic acid, which can be harmful to your muscle building and is known to produce the pain and soreness you feel later on.

With this in mind, you must be able to get more done, and faster, than usual. You need to make whatever you do, worth your time. Lifting 80-85% of your one rep max is crucial. This is a good weight for high resistance, which will cut back your exercise’s total time.

Compound exercises, as you can tell from reading my other articles, are the best for building muscle and also losing weight. They work many muscles at once, giving you better flexibility and comfort with movements involving many muscles. They are highly recommended to exercise to build muscle, because compound exercises will benefit you the most when you are out of the weight room, doing daily activities like lifting objects, moving furniture, and any type of sport.

If you would like to do compound exercises, but you are nervous about going to the weight room, well you shouldn’t be. However, if you still just don’t want to go, you can do exercises to build muscle at home. Pull ups, pushups, and chin ups are some examples of compound exercises you can use at home, with little or no equipment.

To prevent pain and aching, reduce your rep and set count, while increasing your weight.

A shorter time while you exercise to build muscle will still be beneficial, as long as you are lifting a good amount of weight and performing exercises that work many muscles at once.

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7 Reasons Why You Should Front Squat

Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008
by Caleb Lee

I can practically assure you’re not front squatting enough or in any way. For some reason, you don’t see a lot of gym goers (particularly bodybuilders) making use of this time-tested workout.

Crossfit has gone miles and miles towards bringing it back, but if you’re not doing crossfit - it’s most likely not even on your radar.

This is a shame because if you want to achieve maximum strength and power build awesome quads sculpt a killer six-pack and save your “tweaked” lower back then you’re going to appreciate the front squat.

Here’s 2 reasons why you should front squat for a better body:

1. Get Better Quads - The front squat is an EXCELLENT movement to get bigger, stronger quads-probably the best exercise there is. Because you’re position is more upright, it emphasizes the quads more.

2. Get Rock-Solid Abs (Core) - Since you’re holding the weight facing your body, and you have to stay upright your whole core gets a great exercise trying to even out the weight and keep you vertical. If you find you’re leaning forward a lot when you back squat, you’ll quickly get stronger and fix this problem if you change over to front squats for a moment.

Front squats aren’t just good for building a better looking body either! They’re also really good at just making you more fit and keeping you more healthy. What good is looking strong if you have to sacrifice your health in the process?

Here’s the five more reasons why you have to Front Squat for better well-being:

1. Makes Your Other Lifts Better - Because the bar is placed in front of you, on your shoulders, the front squat is a lot like other exercises and strengthens the “base” of those lifts/presses. Power Cleans, Overhead Presses, Overhead Squats, etc all share the same “starting” position as the front squat. Getting stronger and more comfortable with Front Squats will help you in those exercises too.

2. Bad Form Gets Self-Corrected - If you’re back squatting with bad form you can complete the exercise at the expense of causing injury to yourself. The good thing about front squats is the form is self correcting: If you’re not straight enough you’ll drop the bar if you’re not holding the bar right you’ll drop it if you don’t keep your elbows up you’ll drop it. It’s an exercise that pretty much forces your form to be good.

3. Less Weight - When all is said and done, if you can defy your body with less weight (because you’re doing a harder training) then it is safer. Because the Front Squat is harder than Back Squats you won’t be able to lift as much weight. Which means a reduced amount of spinal compression.

4. More Natural Spine Position - You’re more upright with the front squat your spine is in a more neutral “straight” position. This combined with the fact you’re lifting less weight is healthier for your spine in the long run.

5. Lower Back Approved - Most people have lower back problems and back squats aggravate these conditions. But because your upper body is mostly upright (instead of leaning forward like in a back squat) there’s less force on your lower back. I started front squatting after I hurt my lower back.

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Make Trampolines Safe For Children With These Accessories

Friday, December 19th, 2008
by Ned Dagostino

The trampoline is an excellent activity equipment to let your child, hyperactive or otherwise, release the pent up energy of childhood. Parents know that almost every activity involving children is beset with risks. When the activity involves the child shooting up from a rubber mat to a dizzying height and then come flying down, again and again, the parent knows that an accident is just bound to happen!

Responsible parents should consider the many safety accessories available in the market that make this activity safe enough for children.

The trampoline net is a basic necessity. It surrounds the trampoline in such a way that a child cannot fall out of the trampoline. Since most trampoline accidents happen this way, the trampoline net is a must-buy.

The trampoline net is the first and foremost safety accessory that a worried parent should get. There are other accessories which also work to make the trampoline a safe form of exercise and play for children.

Frame padding should be replaced if it has lost its cushioning effect. Even if the child doesn’t fall all the way out of the trampoline on to the hard ground or floor, falling on the hard steel frame is no less dangerous.

You could also cover the trampoline to keep it dry when it drizzles. A slippery mat is an invitation to unpleasant situations involving the First Aid kit or worse. A trampoline net is ideal to keep the trampoline dry and clean.

Getting worried for their children’s safety appears to be the top priority for any and all parents! However, just worrying and doing nothing about safety issues is of no use. The wise parent will buy safety equipment for the trampoline so that he is assured of his child’s safety on the trampoline.

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Girls With Abs Have Them For A Reason

Friday, December 19th, 2008
by Dan Solaris

A shredded mid section always looks great on a person. The only thing sexier than a guy strolling on the shore with a ripped abdomen is a bikini-clad girl with six pack abs.

Tastes and standards have changed with the times. The image of the voluptuous, busty bombshell with the pouting scarlet lips has been replaced by the toned and tanned surfer chick with cut abs.

The image of the Monroe-esque figure painted on the fuselages of WWII warplanes has been replaced by the internet-savvy, corporate chick who rushes-off to the gym after work to work on her figure.

Girls with washboard abs weren’t born with them of course- it’s not inherited through the genes like a sexy butt or an ample bosom. Women with six pack abs get them through a combination of healthy eating habits and workouts that are optimized for burning body fat.

Cardio and muscle-building exercises designed to burn belly fat in women is generally the same as that of men- there’s basically no difference (except for the weight lifted of course, as men are generally larger than their counterparts).

There’s actually little difference in the skeletal muscle of men and women. Consequently, exercises and food intake for effective muscle-building and fat-loss for both sexes are the same. It’s common-sense, really- burn belly fat, reveal the abs.

Experts have discovered that the surefire way to getting ripped abs entails exercises designed to burn body fat and build muscle. The secret to exposing the lines and striations of abdominal muscles (as with any other muscle) lies in eliminating the layer of sub-cutaneous fat covering it. The shredded look would be impossible without burning-off excess body fat and keeping it off.

Lifting weights builds muscle and since muscle tissue burns calories (even while immobile), the more of it we have, the easier it would be for our bodies to avoid storing fat from excess calories. Our metabolism goes up, the more calories we burn and this inadvertently means the less effort we have to exert in our workouts. Weight lifting and exercises that burn belly-fat effectively are universal- it’s the same for both guys and girls.

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