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Archive for May, 2009
Sunday, May 31st, 2009
 Pull ups are a great exercise. They are a straightforward exercise where you use some of your hard to work muscles, combined with your body weight, to create an exercise that creates resistance. Most people who work out at home do not include pull ups or chin ups in their every day routine. The reason for that is simple. Most home gyms do not have pull up bars. If you work out in a gym, chances are there are several pull up bars for you to use in your workout.
The P90X home workout uses a chin up bar that now leaves you no excuse not to go out and buy one and use it in your home workout routine. The P90X Chin Up Bar has a revolutionary, patented design that puts a new spin on the door frame chin up bar. This bar extends past the width of the door frame. Because of this, you can use this bar to exercise your back, shoulders and arms using six different grips. This bar is easy to put up and easy to take down. It’s made of heavy-gauge steel designed to hold up to 300 pounds.
This chin up bar is so easy to put up that you will have no excuse at all anymore not to include a variety of chin ups or pull ups. This bar is easy to take down as well, so there is no chance that you will hit your head on the bar if you leave it up. The bar is situated on the door frame using two small brackets. The weight of your body and the weight of the bar are distributed to the outside of the door frame.
You will want to find a door frame in your home that is between 24 and 32 inches wide. You might want to find a doorway that is out of the way and not in a high traffic area because although the bar is easy to put up and take down, you might not want to do that each time you use it. Think about putting the bar in a doorway that is near your TV. You might want to follow along with a DVD while you are doing your pull up workout.
The bar takes some putting together. You will need to assemble the bar and put on the pads. This assembly process is straightforward and the instructions are easy to follow. You will be hanging up your bar in no time!
Because pull ups are a great way to work your arms, your upper back, and your shoulders, investing in this inexpensive piece of equipment is a great idea. It can improve the quality of your home work out.
Tags: Chin Up Bar, Get Ripped, P90X Gear, Pull Up Bars
Posted in P90X, Workout Equipment | 1 Comment »
Saturday, May 30th, 2009
 As summer approaches, it is time to think about how to retool your workout in order to get the best-looking legs around. Take a few minutes to evaluate your present lower body workout and see how you can add to it to make it a great workout for your body.
A great way to get great results from your lower body is to combine two different training styles. Many people do standard lower body exercises that use dumbbells or hand weights. These exercises traditionally are squats and lunges. If you take those weight-bearing exercises and combine them with plyometric exercises, you will have a great training combination. Plyometric exercises load the muscles and then unload them quickly. These exercises require short bursts of energy. These exercises would be things like jumping jack squats, shuffles from side to side, or star jumps. The weight bearing exercises build muscles and the plyometric exercises can help burn calories, helping to define the muscles, and also to lengthen the muscles. The combination of weight bearing exercise with plyometrics can help create long, lean, defined muscles.
If you want to target the lower body and work different aspects of it, you can integrate bodyweight exercises and plyometric exercises, as you did above, and add to that some yoga poses that will help stretch and lengthen the muscles. Create a small circuit of exercises that work the same muscles, but from different perspectives. Uses lunges as your body weight exercise and add to that jumping lunges. Then move on to the triangle yoga pose, or a warrior pose. Go through the series of exercises without taking a break. This combination will work those muscles but work them differently. They will help create long, lean muscles.
When you are working your lower body, take great care not to put your knees in any kind of jeopardy. Do not let your knees come out over your ankles when doing lunges. Don’t straighten or lock your knees at the top of your squats. If you feel any knee pain at any time during an exercise, stop immediately.
Do not forget to balance out your lower body workout. Work all the muscles in your lower body equally. Do not just work quads and gluts, but also emphasize your calves and hamstrings. Be sure to structure your workout so that you target all the muscle groups.
Tags: Lower Body Workout, Plyometric Exercises, Workout Tips
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Friday, May 29th, 2009
 Everywhere you look, you find information about this diet or that diet. High protein, low carb diets, low fat diets, diets to prevent cancer, and even watermelon diets. You can probably find a diet that encompasses just about everything. So how can you figure out what foods you should be eating? Some people rely on the idea of “superfoods” to determine their diet.
Superfoods are life-altering foods that you can buy in the grocery store. These foods are not drugs, they are simply foods that have been found to lower your cholesterol, reduce your risk of cancer, and some just make you feel better. These foods, when incorporated into your diet, can have an enormous impact on your health. Claims have been made that these superfoods can reduce your chance of diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
Every superfood is an unprocessed food. You will find these foods on the perimeter of you grocery store, not down the aisle shelves. These foods all have special qualities that when eaten regularly, will help your body be strong and healthy for a long time to come.
Blueberries are an example of a superfood. Blueberries have high amounts of antioxidants and phytoflavinoids, and are also bursting with vitamin C and potassium. These tiny berries can have an anti-inflammatory effect on your body, as well as help you prevent cancer and heart disease.
Soy is a superfood that can help lower cholesterol. Foods such as tofu and edamame can be powerful in reducing your cholesterol and promoting a healthy heart. Calcium helps build strong bones and can help prevent the onset of osteoporosis. Many women do not get enough calcium in their diet. Dairy products can be superfoods because they contain calcium.
Perhaps the best superfood of all? Dark chocolate. This chocolate is chock full of antioxidants and is thought to help lower blood pressure. Look for chocolate with 60% or high cocoa content. Dark chocolate tends to have lower fat and sugar as well.
We all are watching what we eat and sometimes we don not get it right. But including superfoods in your diet is a great way to ensure that you are giving your body a fighting chance to stay as healthy as you can. A diet rich in superfoods can positively impact your life.
Tags: Superfoods
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Thursday, May 28th, 2009
 Many people exercise for a while and follow a workout routine and then something happens in their lives and they stop. Getting back into the workout habit after having not worked out for a period of time can be challenging. There are many reasons not to get back into it. But here are some tips that just might convince you to start up again.
Find a Buddy. Have a friend who will commit to working out with you and keeping you motivated. Try to find someone who shares your fitness levels and fitness goals, as this will make the process smoother. Commit to each other to not let the other quit for a period of time, no matter what.
Make if Fun. If you want to entice yourself back in to the workout habit, you might need to do so with a little self-bribe. You might need to find something exciting that makes you want to work out. Maybe that means taking a new class at the gym. Maybe it means buying a new exercise DVD that you have been looking at. Maybe it means taking up a new sport. Whatever that incentive is for you, allow yourself that luxury. Do not punish yourself for falling off the exercise wagon and make your reentry miserable. Cut yourself some slack and let yourself back in easily and let it be fun.
Start Small. Ten minutes a day is all you need to begin working out again. Even if you left off working out for an hour or so every day, you do not need to jump back in and make that commitment. Start small and make each workout goal attainable.
Build the Habit. Start small but be diligent about meeting your daily workout goals. Mark the goals down on a calendar and do not let yourself off the hook for the first thirty days. It takes at least thirty days to build any habit and the workout habit is no different. If it is on the calendar, you have to do it. Start small, and build up to increase your goals.
Reward Good Behavior. Build rewards into your reentry into the workout routine. Choose a reward for making it through the first day. Choose another reward for making it through the first week. If you make it through the first month, choose a big reward! Be good to yourself and be understanding. But be tough and get out there and get started.
Tags: Exercise DVD, Start A Workout Routine, Workout Routine
Posted in Workout DVDs | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
 Whey protein is a great way to add more protein to your diet. It is particularly helpful for vegetarians looking for alternative sources of protein. Whey protein is a protein powder that comes from cow’s milk. Milk has two proteins, casein and whey proteins. Whey protein is more soluble than casein and is also a higher quality protein. It is thought to be the most nutritious protein available.
Whey protein is thought to be beneficial in many ways. It is used to promote bone health, help control weight, and also as a sports nutrition supplement. Whey protein is low in fat, lactose and cholesterol and many people incorporate it into their diet, boosting their nutrition.
Many people use whey protein powder as a supplement to their diet. You can simply use the protein as stated by adding the protein powder to milk and drinking the protein in a milkshake. Whey protein can be incorporated into your diet in other ways.
Whey has sort of nutty taste to it, so it can be easily added to some of your favorite recipes. Whenever your recipe calls for milk, you can add that amount of water mixed with whey protein. You can use this in all your cooking, including soups, casseroles, baked goods, and more.
This substitution can be made easily on your morning cereal, adding whey protein mixed with water instead of milk. Or simply add the whey protein to the milk before adding it to the cereal. Whey protein can be added to fruit smoothies. Whey protein can be purchased in different flavors, such as chocolate, vanilla and strawberry.
Whey protein is good for athletes and people who workout because it is a high quality and complete protein. It contains all the essential amino acids that are used by the muscles during exercise. Whey protein then helps those acids replenish and can help repair and rebuild muscles.
Protein needs vary from person to person, depending on your age, sex, weight and activity level. Talk to your physician about how much protein you should be ingesting in your diet every day and talk through the addition of whey protein as a possible way of getting the proteins you need. Whey protein is also thought to help in weight loss and weight management. It helps in building muscle mass and helps to decrease the amount of fats stored by the body.
Tags: Rebuild Muscle, Wheat Germ, Whey Protein Powder
Posted in Nutritional Supplements, P90X | 1 Comment »
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