How To Do Calisthenics (Part 2)

Folks, we are in part 2 of this article dealing with how to do calisthenics and here are the rest of the more popular ones.

Reverse Push-ups:

Place a bench (chair) behind your back and grip its edges. Make sure your hands are about shoulder width apart. For a more challenging work out, place your heels on another bench at a level higher than the bench you are holding on to. Bending your elbows, lower the body as far as you can toward the floor, then push back, locking out your arms to work the upper triceps. (Aka bench dips, invented in the absence of dip bars mostly found in gymnasiums)

Roman Chair Sit Ups:

Lock your feet under any of the following or whatever can suffice

1. A lowered portable pull-up bar

2. A firm bed or couch or chair.

3. A partner to grip your ankles and hold them in place.

Now fold your arms in front of you. Keeping the stomach tucked in, lower yourself to approximately 70 degrees from an upright position and now raise yourself back up and come forward as far as possible, intentionally flexing and crunching your abdominal muscles to increase the contraction. This is the first variation.

Variation 2:

In the second variations, upon raising yourself up make a swift twist first to the left and then the right and then lower back (this targets the oblique muscles and love handles)

Sprinting Spurt:

Sprinting is basically an anaerobic exercise. While jogging, perform a few sprinting spurts intermittently for 9-12 seconds then resume jogging at a normal pace.

Super Sets:

A set of two or more exercises performed in a row without stopping. The concept is after completion of a specific exercise say the push up, which engages your chest and triceps, to engage in another exercise say the leg raises which work your

Abs and legs while the upper torso is resting. A great way to kill time and push yourself!

Wide Grip chin ups:

Take hold of the chin up bar with an overhand grip. Make your hands as wide as possible. Hang from the bar, then pull yourself up so that:

(a) The back of your neck touches the bar

(b) The front of your chest touches the bar, and then lower yourself slowly to the starting position.

Windmills:

Have your legs extended sideways as far out as 3-4 feet. Bend over and stay as such. Straighten your arms out to each side and twist so that you touch your right hand to your left foot. Your arm should remain straight and point at the sky, at the same time look up behind you. Repeat the same motion on the other side touching the left hand to the right foot.

So there you have it folks, some of the more common Body-Weight Calisthenics you can do in the comfort of your own home, hotel room etc without the need for expensive gym memberships or equipments.

Of course, there’s always yoga y’know….

To Health

Foras Aje

Foras Aje is an independent researcher and author of Fitness: Inside and out, a book on improving physical and mental health naturally. For more information on natural health,news and breakthroughs visit his site at http://www.bodyhealthsoul.com/
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How To Do Calisthenics (Part 1)

Since we have gone over the description of what calisthenics are let’s go over how to do some of the more popular ones to make a routine of our own.

The following are descriptions of exercises performed by boxers, martial artists and other fitness oriented people who prefer the comfort of working in their own homes at their own pace, using there own body weight.

They are highly effective to sculpt, strengthen and tone and are fun as well.

Ab Roll Outs:

Using the traditional ab-wheel (best purchased from an Asian market or sports store) start off in a kneeling position and roll out as far as you can feeling a deep stretch in your abs, triceps and chest, hold for a split second or two, then slowly draw the roller back to the starting position.

This is great for the arms, chest, lats, abdominal and back muscles. (if you have any interest in doing the spiritual abdominal exercises in yoga such as Nauli, you would have to give this up as it makes the abdominal muscles too tight. If uninterested in the spiritual, go right ahead and build you a 6-pack!)

Close Grip Chin Ups:

Using a home chin up bar, a firmly fitted pipe around your house or a specially designed pull up bar, take hold of the apparatus, hands close together in an underhand grip. Pull yourself up, lean your head slightly back so that your chest nearly touches your hands. Lower you body back to the starting position. This exercise is great for the lats, biceps and shoulder muscles.

Jumping Jacks:

Everyone should remember these from Physical Education Class! Just stand straight and then make a quick outward motion of your legs in a spring-like motion, while simultaneously raising the hands above the head to touch! Pretty fun stuff!

Leg Raises:

Using a chair or a bench, sit at the edge so your body is inclined to the axis at the back. Now lift both legs up in an upward motion while exhaling, allowing the body to curl up and then inhale and extend the legs while simultaneously pushing back so you are completely straight.

Push-ups:

A traditional exercise that has stood the test of time! It is designed to strengthen and tone the arms, chest and back. Truthfully, it has its origins in yoga! Start of in a plank position, arms straight, feet together and a straight body from head to toe and lower yourself till you almost touch the floor with the chest (ensure to keep the head tilted backwards slightly) and return to the starting position. It has several variations and they are briefly described below. They can also be executed using push-up bars for a more challenging effect.

Variation 2:

Widen your hands to about 6-8″ outwards and lower yourself, this works the outer chest muscles more. (In the first variation, you hands should be directly under the shoulders.)

Variation 3:

Have your hands directly under your chest forming a diamond shaped gap between them and execute the exercise as in the first 2 variations. This works the inner chest muscles.

Foras Aje

Foras Aje is an independent researcher and author of Fitness: Inside and out, a book on improving physical and mental health naturally. For more information on natural health,news and breakthroughs visit his site at http://www.bodyhealthsoul.com/
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Tabata Training – The 4 Minute Super Workout!

There’s been a real BUZZ in the fitness industry about a revolutionary type of training.

It’s proven to bring dramatic fitness gains, rapid strength gains and BLAST your fat stores like no other workout.

Invented in 1996, it’s popularity has rocketed amongst top athletes and sportspeople worldwide.

Perhaps most impressive of all…

…it only takes 4 minutes!

So what is it?!..

Tabata Training cycles intervals of 20 seconds of maximum intensity exercise with 10 seconds of rest, repeated without pause 8 times for a total of 4 minutes.

20 seconds work
10 seconds rest
for a total of 4 minutes

On paper it looks pretty easy.  On the gym floor it’s 240 seconds of fitness heaven and hell!  Any workout that crams the workload and fitness gains of a 30 minute workout into the time it takes to boil an egg is going to be challenging.

The Inventor…

Tabata training was invented by Dr. Izumi Tabata and his team at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo.  His research found that exercising at a high level of intensity for a short period of time was more effective than exercising at a low intensity for a long duration.

Since developing his now famous 4 minute Tabata Protocol, research worldwide has confirmed that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) brings faster and greater fitness gains than traditional “long slow burn” workouts.

Some great examples…

The Tabata training method can be applied to pretty much any exercise you like.

For strength and muscle tone try tabata squats, tabata lunges or tabata push ups.  To boost your cardio try tabata sprints, tabata star jumps or tabata burpess.  Nothing will flatten and tone your abs quite like tabata sit ups or tabata leg raises.

The options are endless.

Progress is measured by taking the number of reps performed on your WORST set out of the 8 sets.  It’s great because you can’t cheat the system… I’ve tried and failed!

I personally love tabata training because it fulfils the 5 Rules Of The Perfect Worktout by allowing you to create intense and challenging workouts whilst easily measuring your progress.

Next time you’re in the gym or the park try it. You might just like it!

Liam Taylor from everythingZing.com - gym stevenage
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Boot Camp Exercises - The Best 4 To Add To Your Home Boot Camp Workout

Boot camp exercises give you a quick and effective method to get your body into condition while losing fat and training from home. A well created boot camp workout will incorporate elements of strength, conditioning, and endurance while trying to keep the pace quick for cardio conditioning. You can receive a Free Boot Camp Workout right here or continue reading to learn more about them. Boot camp workouts enable you to have one of the most well rounded workouts possible. Simply by working out from home you can achieve immediate weight loss and muscular conditioning without ever coming in contact with weight equipment or traveling to the health club.

Listed here is a workout to obtain a quick full body work out doing a circuit with body weight exercises. Most bootcamp exercise courses are based on bodyweight exercises due to the ability to do them anywhere without having equipment. The body must use so many stabilizers to undergo the range of motion which will not only firm up more muscles but will also burn off more calories providing a fantastic fat loss result. Fat burning work outs don’t need to be dull aerobic sessions. Bootcamp workouts are more interesting by challenging one’s body as well as your mind by making oneself push harder.

Boot Camp Exercise #1 – The Pull-up

The pull-up is really a phenomenal part of a boot camp workout program especially if you’re in fact training to go to the armed forces. The Marine Corps will have you pulling oneself up a bar every day to strengthen your biceps and upper back. This is a functional strength exercise that is essential to give you strength for climbing up ropes and pulling your body over difficult terrain. In the event you workout at home and you lack a pull-up bar to pull yourself up on get an Iron Gym pull-up bar.

The deluxe model supports several grips and it fits perfect into a door. Put it up in the door during your workout and take it down immediately after. I recommend doing pull ups at least 2-3 times each week in order to strengthen the upper body. You’ll feel this bodyweight exercise working your upper back muscles, your biceps, rear deltoids, and even your abs will get sore from the stabilization of pulling your self up.

Boot Camp Exercise #2 – Pushups and all sorts of Variations

Everybody knows the push-up. It’s a part of every bootcamp exercise program and it is what can help build your chest, shoulders, triceps, and once again your stomach muscles will be a stabilizer with this motion. Keep the entire body in a straight line while performing the push-up and palms slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Lower your body down gradually and push up explosively to enhance power and strength development. If you cannot do that many pushups do as many as you can and switch to a kneeling push-up.

There are a number of grips and widths you can use for pushups while you get more advanced. A closer hand grip will work your triceps more intensely to build up your arms. Then when you can do normal push-ups relatively easily start including a greater challenge with feet elevated push-ups. Put your feet up on a chair or bench and while continuing to keep your body aligned do them slow and controlled.

Boot Camp Exercise #3 - Y Squat

Now it’s time to add lower bodyweight exercises to this circuit. The Y squat will now provide you with an opportunity to work your glutes, hams, and quads while once more your core will be working as a stabilizer. Stand along with your feet shoulder width apart and your arms up in the air forming a really wide Y. Now sit back into a deep squatting position mindful not to lean ahead. If you lean too far forward you’ll begin to feel the weight on your toes and balls of the feet. Shift your weight back to your heels and push from your glutes when returning to the starting position.

Boot Camp Exercise #4 – Planks

The plank is a superb exercise that not only works the abdominals but the total core from the hips to the lower back and obliques. I remember back in martial arts training when I was a teen my instructor called this exercise “The Iron Bridge” and we would hold for as long as possible.

You’ll start this exercise by lying face-down on your floor or a pad with your elbows positioned underneath your chest. Then you’ll prop your self up onto your elbows and forearms while keeping on your toes. Always keep a flat back and don’t let your hips sag down. Hold this for 30 seconds if you can but if you are new to this exercise you may have to start with a few reps of 10 seconds which will probably be all it takes to really feel your muscles working and possibly have a bit of soreness the next day.

Start Your Boot Camp Workout at Home

These 4 exercises can actually be grouped together as a circuit performing one right after another resting about 15 to 30 seconds in between exercises depending on your degree of cardio conditioning. Go through the entire circuit Three to five times or time your self and see how many times you can go through it in 12 to 15 minutes. This is simply one example of how to use boot camp exercises to setup your own boot camp workout at home. For more boot camp exercise programs visit my site which includes more information and programs on boot camp exercises as well as a free boot camp workout.

Rick Porter is a former U.S. Marine and online fitness consultant using his 20 years of experience to help others.  Read more about boot camp workouts or click here to get a Free Boot Camp Workout you can do at home.
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Top 10 Reasons You Keep Getting Fatter

If you exercise and eat right but keep getting fatter then this will be the most important article you’ll ever read.

Here’s why. In this article I’m going to share with you the top 10 reasons why you keep getting fatter. Studies have PROVEN it. My experience has shown it. Bottom line is… at least one of these 10 hidden “weight gainers” is your primary culprit… guaranteed!

Here’s the best part…

You can fix them right now. TODAY! It really is pretty simple stuff. Anyone can do it.

Now most likely you’ll pinpoint three or four reasons on this list that are packing on the pounds. Maybe more.

But that’s great news. Just means that if you address them quickly then you’ll be able to start seeing significant results. Only takes a few days or less! I’ve witnessed this happen dozens of times to people just like you.

So read through the list of “The Top 10 Reasons You Keep Getting Fatter” and find your culprits. Then fix them. That’s it.

Here’s the list…

1. You believe you were created to be fat. That it’s in your genetics.

2. You’re living a “low carb” lifestyle.

3. You’re dieting, cutting calories, skipping meals or flat out starving yourself.

4. You’re consuming too much bread.

5. You continue to make bad food choices. (Bowl of ice cream at night.)

6. You’re stuffing your face with “starchy” carbs like pasta or pizza crust.

7. You do not have a specific “goal” weight and a specific time-frame for achieving it.

8. You’re consuming lots and lots of refined sugar. (Just check your labels for things like high fructose corn syrup.)

9. You’re not working out at least five days each week.

10. You’re not keeping your body in a constant state of hydration.

So what is the #1 reason that people struggle? Well from what I’ve seen there are actually four that stand out as the biggest culprits. They are #6, #8, #9, #10. But any of the other items could definitely be your reasons for getting fatter.

Here’s how to make this really really easy…

Just take the top two items on this list that you feel have caused you to keep getting fatter and focus all your attention on them.

For example… if you strongly feel that item #9 and #1 are the dirty devils holding you back, then just begin to exercise five days per week and cement into your head that many studies have found that genetics play almost NO role in abnormal body fat.

If you do that for two weeks and don’t see results, then just try another couple of items on this list that you believe might be it.

That’s all.

Super simple stuff. But it’s wildly effective!

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