Jun 30, 2009
Valeo wins for best medicine ball design! Medicine balls usually makes me cringe but these come in bright colors and a range of sizes/weight. They are a great addition to your modern gym or your teeny tiny studio apartment.
click on the image above to go directly to Valeo’s medicine ball page
Jun 30, 2009
Your booty called—it wants its life back. It’s fed up with you squashing and suffocating it all day long at the office. It refuses to be pinned down to the couch for yet another repeat episode of The Real Housewives of New York. Your booty’s lost its bounce and that can only be explained by muscle degeneration in the gluteus maximus. Save your booty before it’s too late! Take it with you to the gym and start doing these exercises immediately. Try 3 sets of 8 repetitons for each exercise.
The glute muscles are actually easy to build up. As long as you’re targeting them every time you hit the gym, your booty will look toned and perky…and I won’t have to take anymore phone calls from your ass.
If you need step-by-step instruction this 10 min Buns & Thighs video covers everything:
http://www.exercisetv.tv/workout-videos/10-minute-buns-thighs-1220?intcid=HPThumb2
Jun 29, 2009
For all you twitter birds, you can now find me and my blog posts on the highly addictive twitter.com. High-five me, blow me kisses, and tweet me here: www.twitter.com/mizzFITnyc
Jun 28, 2009
~contributed by Jeremy Sigel, mizzFIT Guest Blogger
A few years ago I had a dumbbell dilemma. I had the strength to lift heavy, but could not manage to get two dumbbells in the correct position without the aid of a partner. My solution: use both arms to position a single dumbbell and train unilaterally (aka working one side of the body at a time, aka one-arm presses).
Since that day I have made one-arm presses a staple of my work out and it’s become pretty common for my fellow gym-goers to approach me and inquire what the benefit is to only using a single arm (performing a one-arm chest press with a 100lb dumbbell tends to attract attention). As you now know, I didn’t set out to become a proponent of one-arm presses, but have since learned (and more importantly experienced) the three key benefits associated with unilateral training:
Core Strength: When you perform a one-arm press, your body is unstable. You have weight on one side and nothing on the other. In order to keep from toppling over, your abdominal muscles are recruited. This means you’re working your core and making strides on achieving that six-pack on every press. Years of unilateral training have given me tremendous core strength. It’s the reason why I can one-arm press more weight than a lot of bigger guys who can ultimately bench more than me.
Get Stronger: If you can lift a single 50lb dumbbell once using one arm, logic would indicate that you should be able to lift two 50lbs dumbbells once using both arms, right? Wrong! You will actually be able to lift slightly less than double, or say two 40-45lb dumbbells. This is known as bilateral deficit: “when the total force exerted by two limbs is less than the sum of the forces produced by the left and right limbs acting alone.” Practically, this means when you perform a one-arm press that muscle is working harder and therefore getting stronger.
Burn Fat: When you train unilaterally, it allows one side of the body to rest while you’re working the other. Therefore, you don’t need to take lengthy breaks (or breaks at all) between sets and are able to spend more time exercising. The more time you spend exercising, the more energy you expend. The more energy you expend the more calories you burn. The more calories you burn the less fat you will have.
So… if your fitness goals include getting a six-pack, becoming stronger, burning fat (or turning heads at the gym) unilateral training might be for you.
Jun 28, 2009
By now we all know that Ryan Reynolds has ripped abs. He flaunts them all over town and most recently on the June cover of Entertainment Weekly. What most people don’t know is that abs like Ryan’s require more than just a rigorous abdominal workout. Diet is a huge factor in the shaping of the abdominal region.
Ryan Reynolds isn’t a spring chicken and at 32 it can be difficult to maintain washboard abs unless you’re following a strict exercise and dietary regimen. Men tend to store their fat in the lower abdomen and the best way to change that is to increase the body’s metabolism by eating more (5-6) high protein meals a day. Ryan claims to substitute a few meals with protein bars and shakes but makes sure to eat every 2-3 hours. Of course, he’s not just eating. He’s in the gym doing 500-1000 sit-ups at the start of each workout.
It’s important to keep your abdominal workout varied and to follow it up with weight lifting and cardiovascular exercise. The major benefit of adding cardio to your workout is that it elevates your metabolism. Your body will continue to burn fat even after you are through with your cardio session. Ryan ran in the ING NYC marathon last November and I’m sure all the months he spent training for it really helped to define his abs.
Drinking lots of water is is also a MUST for six pack abs. Many people believe that by drinking more water, they’ll put on water weight - however, you gain more water weight by drinking less water. Increasing your daily water intake will raise your metabolism and may even keep you from overeating and snacking. So there you have it…it’s a lot work but completely attainable. Ryan Reynold’s abs can be your abs as long as you have the will.
Below you’ll find links to my favorite abdominal exercises for both men and women at www.livestrong.com.
http://www.livestrong.com/video/5183-core-training-ab-lift-ball/
http://www.livestrong.com/video/4174-six-pack-abs-seated-twist/
http://www.livestrong.com/video/2534-do-hanging-knee-lifts/
Jun 27, 2009
MJ, I never mentioned this before but I had a very serious crush on you as a little girl. I would dress up like you (with the glove, jacket and hat) and dance on cue for my parent’s friends. Not much has changed since then except that I’ve incorporated more sequins into my MJ inspired look. I’m so sad that you’re gone and the world will not be the same without you. But one thing is for sure, your music will always inspire us to move. Thank you for giving us music and dance that is every bit edgy, glamorous and energetic. R.I.P. P.Y.T.
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