Thursday, May 7, 2009

2 New And Different Ab Exercises

Here are 2 superhero Spiderman ab exercises, a pair of unique bodyweight exercises you've probably never done before; Spiderman push-ups and Spiderman lunges/climbs.

For the Spiderman push-up, you want to start by getting into a regular push-up position. As you come down, bring your knee up to your elbow, back down, and then alternate sides.

To perform the Spiderman push-up exercise correctly, try to keep your body in a straight line and minimize the rotation in the hips. You should have good mobility in your hips which will allow you to do this exercise.

This is a very difficult push-up when done with proper form because when you bring your elbow to your knee you are going from 4 stabilizing points to only 3. Therefore, you are increasing the stress load on your body, as well as working your abdominals. A hard exercise to perform, the Spiderman push-up is a great total body exercise.

The Spiderman lunge or climb as it is more commonly known amongst my readers is another bodyweight exercise that has a tendency to cause confusion. To do this exercise, get into the top of the push-up position, keep your hips down, and bring one foot up right next to your hand. Return your foot to the original position and then alternate sides.

For beginners or those with poor flexibility, be careful not to overstretch in this exercise. For example, I would suggest to beginners to only bring your foot up half way, and as your mobility increases, slowly work your way to bringing your foot up right beside your hand. The purpose of the Spiderman climb is to keep your abs braced, and to work your abdominals for endurance.

So that is the Spiderman push-up and the Spiderman lunge, the two superhero bodyweight exercises.

Get your free sample bodyweight and home gym workout to burn belly fat, flatten your stomach, and work your six-pack abs at: http://www.TurbulenceTraining.com
Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health and Oxygen magazines and will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment. Discover more bodyweight exercises in fitness boot camp workouts to help you lose fat, do more pushups, and build ripped six pack abs in less workout time than ever before.

Friday, February 13, 2009

How To Lose Weight The Healthy way

How To Lose Weight The Healthy Way


Almost 108 million Americans were overweight or obese in 1999. Until now, obesity continues to be a serious problem and is predicted to reach epidemic levels by the year 2020.

One way to prevent this scenario is to make people aware of the risks of being overweight or obese.

Here are some diseases that you are putting yourself in risk of if you are carrying a lot of extra pounds:

1. heart disease
2. stroke
3. diabetes
4. cancer
5. arthritis
6. hypertension

Losing weight helps to prevent and control these diseases.

The quick weight loss methods which have spread like fire these days do not provide lasting results. More often than not, dieting methods which involve dietary drinks, foods and supplement or pills do not work. If they do, the results are just temporary.

It is better to rely on a healthy weight loss option which will provide lifetime results. You have to set realistic goals and not expect to lose a lot of pounds in a short span of time.

Here are some tips on how you can lose those unwanted pounds the healthy way:

1. Do not starve your self.

The key to a healthier way of losing weight is: Do not diet.

You may seem happy and feel that you are losing those unwanted flabs on your belly and thighs by skipping meals. But remember that this would not last long. Your body cannot tolerate having insufficient food to fuel the energy that you use up everyday.

If you get used to skipping one or two meals a day, your stored calories will be used up instead of the energy that should have been provided by your meals. So if you just eat one huge sandwich in one day, it will end up straight to your problem area (i.e. highs, buttocks, hips).

2. Start your day right.

Mothers always say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Have a healthy meal in the morning to jump-start your metabolism.

Your food intake after you wake up will be used to burn fat all day long.

3. Eat small, healthy meals frequently.

Five small-serving snacks per day is better than three hearty meals. Eating more frequently, and in small servings, can prevent over-eating. This will also increase your metabolism and make calories burn faster.

4. Decide on how much weight you want to lose.

Keep your goals realistic. In the long run, it is virtually impossible for you to lose 40 pounds in 2 weeks. Have a mindset that you want to eat healthy to stay healthy for the rest of your life.

Once you have decided on a weight loss plan or program, stick to it and make sure that you follow your own set of dieting rules.

5. Drink lots of water.

Your body needs sufficient water to burn fat and keep your cells hydrated and healthy.

6. Avoid too much sugar.

Plan your meals around lots of fruits and vegetables, some bread, rice or pasta for that carbo fix that you need, plus lean meat and protein rich-foods. Sweets, sodas and pastries should be once-in-a-while indulgences only.

7. Watch your fat intake.

Fat is not the culprit to being overweight. You need this to keep your weight at the proper level.

There is such a thing as healthy fats. Olive, peanuts and canola oil have them. Tuna, salmon and mackerel have omega-3 fats which is good for the heart.

8. Exercise.

Leave your car if you are only going a few blocks from home, take the stairs instead of the elevator, jog, cycle or skate. Use these activites and other home chores if you are too lazy to go to the gym and take exercise classes. Make sure that you do this regularly and you will not even notice that you are already shedding pounds with these mundane activities.

It does not matter how much weight you plan or need to lose. What is important is that you set realistic goals for yourself.

Go slow. If you have already lost 5 or 6 pounds, give yourself a break then try to lose the next 5 pounds.

Eat healthy, drink lots of water, have enough sleep and exercise. This will give you a higher chance of losing weight and improving your health, which would result to a new, healthier you.