Personal Training Tip: Stability Ball circuit – Bodies By Design
November 20, 2011 by Kristopher Simpson
Filed under Fitness Tips
Bodies by Design Fitness Tips
Megan demonstrates a four-exercise circuit using a Stability Ball that works your entire body.
This Stability Ball circuit has four exercises. Try to do 15 reps for each move. First, you’ll do pushups off the ball to target your chest, triceps and core. To make this move easier, place your hips on the ball before you place your hands on the floor to do your pushups. To make this exercise harder, the ball should be on your shins. Make sure you keep your core tight and back stable (don’t sink your back) while doing this motion. The second exercise is the back extension, which targets your lower back. Here, pick a spot near a wall as you’ll need to place your feet against the wall before you lower your hips on the ball. Place your hands behind your head and then bend at the waist, lowering your body all the way down and back up again. Remember to keep your back straight and don’t hyperextend at the top. The third exercise works the hamstrings (the large muscles on the back of your legs). Grab a mat and lie on your back with your bum close to the edge of the mat. Place your heels on top of the ball, then lift your bum up (and keep it there!) while slowly rolling the ball towards you, and then back out. To make this move harder, try it with one leg raised in the air. The fourth and final exercise is a multi-functional movement using the legs, core and shoulders during three movements – the deadlift, squat and overhead raise. While standing and holding the ball in front of you, place your feet shoulder-width apart and then bend at the waist to perform the deadlift. Then lower your bum to complete the squat. Finally, lift the ball up over your head and stand up straight.
Personal Training Tip: Advanced Roman Chair Circuit – Bodies By Design
November 16, 2011 by Kristopher Simpson
Filed under Fitness Tips
Bodies by Design Fitness Tips
Christian demonstrates an advanced Roman Chair circuit, a four-exercise interval that will boost your heart rate and maximize calorie burn. This is a high-intensity, total body workout.
The Advanced Roman Chair Circuit consists of four exercises that are performed with 20 repetitions each. The first is a jump squat. Standing in front of the chair, get in a squat stance, and then explode and jump at the top of this movement, going right into your next rep as soon as you hit the ground. The second exercise is the dip. Keep your legs straight as you lower your body on the parallel bars, then push yourself up and bring your knees into your stomach at the top of this movement. Try not to rock your body. Third, we’ve got the close-grip pullup. Grab the upper handles and pull your body all the way up and down while keeping your legs straight. Last, is the hanging mountain climber. For this you’ll need to hold yourself up on the upper handles. While suspended, start with both feet at the top of the back pad, then bounce your feet between the bottom of the pad and the top.
Training Myth: Skip breakfast to lose weight
November 4, 2011 by Kristopher Simpson
Filed under Fitness Tips
Some people think they can cut calories from their diet – and lose weight – by skipping breakfast. BIG MISTAKE! Without a doubt, bypassing breakfast is violating one of the golden rules of getting in shape. Think about it: you’ve been sleeping for seven or eight hours, which basically means you’ve been fasting.
But more importantly, when you wake up hungry and skip breakfast, levels of the protein hormone leptin, which regulates appetite and metabolism, can change, thus encouraging the body to hold onto its fat. Skipping breakfast also facilitates a catabolic (lean muscle wasting) state, which also causes the metabolism to slow.
So after you wake up, make sure you get your adequate protein and carbs. Even if you’re in a rush, you’ve got time for a bowl of oatmeal, a protein shake or at the very least, a glass of milk.
Mark Broadfoot, Apprentice Trainer // If you want more information on Bodies By Design’s Apprenticeship Program, click here.
Personal Training Tip: Split Squat Variation – Bodies By Design
September 12, 2011 by Alek Gazdic
Filed under Fitness Tips
Bodies by Design Fitness Tips
Aaron demonstrates an elevated split squat variation, which targets the leg muscles and also increases flexibility of the hip.
For this front-foot elevated split squat variation, you’ll need to be in front of a cable station. Use a step platform or weight plate to elevate your front foot, then grab a handle while holding a stationary lunge position. If your left foot is forward, you should be holding the weight in your right hand, then place your left hand on your hip. With a nice, tall posture (chest up), do a forward lunge, then step back slowly making sure you’re bending your back knee. If you’re doing this right you should feel it working your quadriceps while also stretching the muscles of your opposing hip, which will improve hip mobility.
Personal Training Tip: Kettlebell Circuit – Bodies By Design
September 7, 2011 by Alek Gazdic
Filed under Fitness Tips
Bodies by Design Fitness Tips
Mark performs a kettlebell circuit, which targets many muscles, boosts your heart rate and challenges your muscles in a new way.
This 1-arm kettlebell circuit consists of three moves: the swing, the clean and the snatch. For all of the exercises, it’s very important to keep your back straight. For the swing, start by holding the kettlebell between your legs, then thrust your hips to generate power and let the kettlebell swing out in front of you and up to about your shoulders. Let the weight fall back between your legs and repeat the motion without stopping. To complete the clean, it’s a similar motion but here you pause and let the kettlebell come to a stop in front of your shoulder, holding it in place using your forearm. Finally, the snatch requires you to start with a swing but then with a quick retraction of the arm and small movement in the wrist this turns into a shoulder press, finishing the move with the kettlebell over your head and your arm straight. Complete all your repetitions with one arm, then repeat with your other arm. The benefits of kettlebell training are that it requires you to use many muscles throughout your body, which boosts your heart rate and challenges your muscles in a different way.
Personal Training Tip: Leg Circuit – Bodies By Design
August 29, 2011 by Alek Gazdic
Filed under Fitness Tips
Bodies by Design Fitness Tips
Sarah performs a four-exercise lower body circuit, aimed at shaping up and toning your legs and glutes.
The first exercise in this circuit is the stationary barbell lunge. Place the barbell behind your back on your shoulders, then step forward into a lunge. The key thing is to make sure you knee doesn’t go past your toe on your front foot. Step back to your original position and repeat with the other leg. This move is great for shaping your quads, hamstrings and butt (glutes). The second exercise in this combo is the plie squat. Stand with your feet apart, at a 45-degree angle, holding a dumbbell in your hands. Just like a regular squat, lower your body and try to get your thighs parallel to the ground. This exercise is great for working the inner thighs, in addition to your glutes. The third move is the weighted bridge. Lie on your back and dumbbell or weight plate on your stomach, then push through your heels to drive your pelvis up. Lower your pelvis and repeat the motion. The final exercise is the prisoner jump squat. Put your hands behind your head, then squat down and explode at the top into a jump. When you land go right into your next squat to absorb the impact before jumping up again. This will get your heart rate up get your calves involved, in addition to working your glutes, legs and core.
Personal Training Tip: TRX Circuit – Bodies By Design
August 17, 2011 by Kristopher Simpson
Filed under Fitness Tips
Bodies by Design Fitness Tips
Shawn uses the TRX Suspension Trainer to perform a four-exercise circuit, all of which involve the core muscles.
To complete this TRX circuit, place your feet in the strap holds and get into a prone (face-down) position with your hands on the ground. The first move is a pushup, so make sure your core is tight and you’re not letting your lower back sink as your perform each repetition. The second exercise is a reverse crunch. For this, hold yourself up and bring both knees toward your chest simultaneously and then both knees back. The third move is a tricep pushup. It’s similar to the first exercise, but for this one bring your hands closer together and your elbows in toward your body as your lower yourself, and then focus on pushing through your triceps (the muscles on the back of your arm) on the upwards motion. The last exercise is a mountain climber. It’s similar to move #2, but for this one you alternate each leg instead of tucking both knees at the same time. This is a difficult exercise but it will increase your heart rate.
Personal Training Tip: Plyometric exercises – Bodies By Design
July 11, 2011 by Kristopher Simpson
Filed under Fitness Tips
Bodies by Design Fitness Tips
Daniel performs various plyometric exercises – explosive movements that really challenge your muscles and boost your heart rate.
This five-exercise circuit consists of plyometrics – explosive movements that are great for building strength and power while burning many calories. The first exercise is the side-to-side jump. Using a box or bench, place one foot on top of the object. Now jump up and sideways, landing on the other side of the box. As soon as you land go right back into your next jump. The second exercise is the front box jump. This is similar to move #1, but for this one you jump straight up and down off the front of the box instead of side to side over the box. The third move is the fast pivot side-to-side. It’s also similar to the first move, but this one should be performed quickly, and don’t jump as high. The fourth exercise is the forward-back lunge. Start in a lunge stance, then using your back leg step forward into a lunge, making sure your knee does not go past your toe. Then reverse the motion to perform the reverse lunge. After completing your reps on one leg, switch and do the other side. You can repeat the above leg exercises for a set number of repetitions or for a set amount of time. The fifth and final move in the circuit is an explosive pushup. Perform a pushup the traditional way but then explode and come up off the floor. When you land go right into your next pushup.
Personal Training Tip: Deadlift – Bodies By Design
June 23, 2011 by Kristopher Simpson
Filed under Fitness Tips
Bodies by Design Fitness Tips
Mark shows you the proper way to do the deadlift, a classic exercise that targets many large muscles in your body, primarily your legs and back.
To perform a proper deadlift, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and then grab a barbell making sure your chest and head are up and your bum is back. Keep the barbell close to your shins as you begin the movement, first pushing through your heels and then using your legs to stand up. A common mistake at the top of this movement is leaning back or hyperextending while standing straight. To complete the repetition, put your bum back, bend your knees and lower the bar to the ground. The deadlift is a great exercise to boost your power and strength as it targets many large muscle groups.
Training Myth: Protein is for weight gain, not weight loss
March 18, 2011 by Kristopher Simpson
Filed under Fitness Tips
As body fat begins to be burned, the body starts to rely on an alternative source of energy – protein. It’s at this point that you need to significantly increase your protein intake or else your body will turn to its own muscle tissue for energy. Start losing muscle tissue and your metabolism will drop sharply. And when your metabolism drops, fat-burning decreases too, which undermines the whole point of being on a leaning-out diet.
When getting lean is the goal, women should aim for 0.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight a day, while men should be consuming 1 gram per pound. To give you a comparison, a proper portion of chicken breast (4 oz) contains about 30 grams of protein. So keep your metabolism revving by getting enough protein and you’ll create a lean, mean calorie-burning machine!
Mark Broadfoot, Apprentice Trainer // If you want more information on Bodies By Design’s Apprenticeship Program, click here.
