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Showing posts from March, 2018

How to get Legs like a Dancer - Exercises for Long Lean Legs

This lower body workout is a combination of Pilates moves and bodyweight exercises to help you get long lean legs like a dancer. This is a compilation of the best thigh slimming exercises that you can do at home with no equipment. These moves actually consist of building muscle within the legs. Many women shy away from this because they don’t want to “bulk up” but it’s virtually impossible unless they are going way out of the way to intentionally build size (i.e. loading up with supplements, or doing the exercises with very heavy weights). If you do these on a regular basis, you will notice a change in your body shape. In addition, if you eat right and maintain a healthy regime of cardio training, you will start to get lean, athletic legs. How to do this workout Start with at least 15 minutes of cardio to help prevent strains and injuries. Do each exercise for 15 repetitions. Do the entire lower body routine three times through, three times a week in order to s...

How many Calories does Wii Zumba Burn? Wii Zumba Calories Burned

The best kinds of workouts are the ones where you don’t even realize that you are working out; you aren’t watching the clock and you are enjoying what you are doing enough that you will likely end up doing it for longer periods of time, and more often. Zumba has proven to be a really great example of just that for many people; they are having so much fun dancing around to the music that they find themselves getting in a good workout, whether they are aware of it or not. The Latin-inspired dance moves burn a lots of calories, and now thanks to the Wii game, you can do your dancing in the privacy of your own living room. For more ways to blast fat and get fit for cheap and in the privacy of your own living room, check out Fitness Blender's full length, free online workout videos ; we've got Pilates, boot camps, cardio and more. How many Calories does Wii Zumba Burn? Wii Zumba Fitness burns roughly 200-250 calories in 30 minutes. That’s 400-500 cals burned playi...

5k Training Plan: Beginner Training for a 5k

If you are even the slightest bit interested in running or jogging, signing yourself up for a 5K run can be a great way to keep motivated about fitness and weight loss goals. This article lays out the ideal beginner training for a 5K. This plan can get you ready to participate in a race, even if you are brand new to the sport. It’s important to ease into the sport of running. This plan teaches you how to get ready for a 5K in roughly 4 months. What that means is that you have plenty of time to build a strong, solid foundation that lessens the likelihood of injury and burnout. Keep reading to learn how you can be ready to participate in a race. 5K Training Plan: Weeks 1-4 You will be walking at least 5 days a week. For the first 7 days 1, start out at 30 minutes of walking daily; increase your time by 15 minutes every week thereafter so that by #4 you are walking 75 minutes total. Weeks 1-4 will look like this: 5/7 days: • Week 1: 30 Minutes walking • #2: 45 Minutes wal...

Plyometric Jumps: The Best Plyometrics Jumping Exercises

Plyometric exercises are great for increasing overall explosive strength and speed, giving you an acceleration and power advantage over the competition. They teach muscles to produce maximum force in a minimum amount of time by training the stretch reflex of the muscles being used. Plyo training can be done in many ways with focuses on many different body parts but most commonly seen are various jumps utilizing the muscles throughout the legs, and hips. This type of training is a key component to many programs for athletes, from high school teams to the pros. These are most effective when used to train a for specific motion used in the particular sport or activity you are training for, however, listed below are the best versions that don't require any equipment and boost performance for a broad range of sports. For the most dramatic vertical and speed gains, wear a weighted vest while doing these movess. Broad Jumps Knee Tuck Jumps Jumping Lunges Lateral jumps Squat Jacks Doing 1...

Exercises to Get Rid of Love Handles: Love Handle Workouts

Love handles are a hard body fat to lose, but with these total body strength training & cardio workouts, and a healthy diet, you can lower overall body fat and lose it for good. 30 Minute Cardio and Abs Workout Video - 40 Minute HIIT Cardio & Total Body Toning - 45 Minute Total Body Toning + Abs Workout Video The exercises below also target the core muscles; specifically the obliques, lower back, and abdominals. Firming these particular muscles can help tighten up muscles in this specific area. These exercises combined with a proper diet, and possibly a reduction in caloric intake, can make a significant difference in your body composition. Here are the best exercises for obliques, all woven together to form the most effective toning workout possible. How to do this workout Before you start any routine, make sure that your muscles are warmed up by doing between 10 and 15 minutes of cardio. Once you’re ready, jump into this routine by completing the indicated number of ...

How to Get Rid of Flabby Arms: The 3 Best Flabby Arm Exercises

These three upper body exercises are the best moves to tone arms fast, and they require no fancy gym equipment. Arms are a relatively easy part of the body to tone, though you will still need consistency to see any results. Here are the moves to add to your home workout routine to tone arms fast: The Pushup (Level 1) (Level 2) - This simple go-to exercise has been around forever, and there’s good reason for it; it works. It predominantly tones your pectorals and triceps, but your abdominals, quads, and lower back also have to engage in order to pull the move off. The Tricep Pushup (Level 1) (Level 2) - Nobody likes the dreaded underarm jiggle; this bodyweight move targets this often troublesome area. Again; your triceps do the brunt of the work but your core muscles, quads and calves also have to kick in. Anytime you can engage multiple muscles, you are looking at burning a higher number of calories as well, which is always a good thing. The Bicep Curl - All you need for t...

Stretches for Sciatica: Sciatica Exercises and Stretches

Nothing sidelines an athlete or exercise junkie faster than a bout of sciatica. The pain can be excruciating and it can last anywhere from a few days to months. The root cause can be different from person to person but is most commonly caused by a pinched nerve in the lower back or the compression of the sciatic nerve itself, which runs from the base of the spine through the piriformis muscle in the butt and down the femur. If you’ve had this kind of back pain at any time in your life, you likely have a propensity for it and you will want to take proactive steps to lessen the likelihood that it ever flares up again. Exercises and stretches can be extremely effective tools for preventing this painful condition. These stretches can help heal, prevent, and relieve pain. If you’re looking to find relief or prevent the back pain altogether, make these moves a part of your regular routine. Deep Glute Stretch Standing Toe Touch Pilates Imprint Seated Hip Stretch IT Band Stretch H...

Treadmill Workouts to Burn Fat: Treadmill Incline Workout

Walking at an incline burns significantly more calories than walking on level ground due to the extra energy required to move yourself up not just forward. This program will burn fat and calories, all while toning thighs and glutes . Treadmill inclines are fantastic for beginners or for people who have bad knees or a bad back. Because of the climbing periods, this routine can be used like a cardio workout but it spares your joints the jarring that running can sometimes inflict. If you don't have knee or back issues and already have a decent amount of cardio endurance you can get even more fat burning out of this routine by increasing the speed and/or incline. The outline below is one of the best ways to burn fat. Incline treadmill workout Warm Up: Walk at an easy pace at zero incline for 3 minutes. This is to get your muscles warmed up and ready to work. Walking Interval: Step up your pace on the treadmill to about a 5/10. It should be a brisk enough walk that it would be moder...

How Many Calories Does Gardening Burn? Calories Burned Gardening

Working out in the yard is a healthy hobby for many reasons, the high number of calories burned gardening being one of them. When you do this kind of physical labor, you carry out a wide variety of movements that most definitely burn calories, and may even tone. Depending on what kinds of projects you are tackling in your yard, you could be squatting, lifting, digging, or covering a fair amount of distance with your many steps. The best part about it in terms of physical activity is that if you enjoy yard work at all, you aren’t watching the clock or counting down the minutes until you are done (the way that many people do while they are on a treadmill). You can easily spend a whole afternoon or an entire day working without feeling as though you are putting yourself through a mentally grueling workout. Finding physical activities that you enjoy are key to maintaining a healthy weight throughout your lifetime, and this hobby is a perfect example of that scenario for many people....

Exercises to get Rid of Thigh Cellulite

There are a plethora of different products out there that boast quick-fix remedies for getting rid of cellulite, but the best defense you have against this kind of vanity blemish is actually exercise. Regular exercise can help you lessen or even get rid of cellulite on thighs. Here are the top 4 tips and exercises that work to get rid of those unwelcome blemishes on your legs; they can make a difference in as little as a few weeks. Walk on an incline. Walking at an incline slims thighs, firms the butt, and makes for an all around toned lower body. Walking hills, climbing, or just cranking up the interval on the treadmill also burns significantly more calories than walking on a level surface. Burning off extra calories may help in reaching and maintaining a healthy bodyweight. Aim for at least 30 minutes of walking every day of the week in order to stay at a healthy body weight, firm your legss, and reduce the appearance any unwanted dimples or ripples. Add these lower body workouts t...

How to Get a Dancers Body: Get Fit like a Dancer

Dancer’s bodies are typically long, lean, and strong. Many people envy the physique but don’t actually realize that they can get a similar shape. Use these tips to shape your workout routine in order to get a dancer’s body. Start doing Pilates. Pilates develops long, lean muscles in the arms, legs, and glutes. Doing Pilates on a regular basis will help you get the kind of shape and strength you're after. It will also increase your flexibility, so that you can move as fluidly as someone who dances, as well. Pilates exercises are also great for strengthening the core, which translates to better balance, a taut midsection, and a toned back. Do Pilates a few times a week to tone your body with a method that doesn’t build bulky muscles. Check out our free 32 Minute Pilates Video for ideas on good exercises to make part of your routine. Do 30 minutes to an hour of cardio every day. In order to get into this kind of shape, you need to be at a healthy bodyweight. ...

Snowboarding Calories: How Many Calories Does Snowboarding Burn?

Anyone who has ever hit the mountain for this sport knows that it’s a great workout, to say the least. It requires hundreds of different muscles to balance yourself and control your motions, and your allover soreness the next day is usually a testament to the waking up of those muscles. Whether you are spending your time on groomed trails, in the snow park, or in search of untouched powder in the back country, everyone who has strapped a board to their feet knows that it requires a lot of energy and challenges your body to its limits. Here’s a breakdown of calories burnt snowboarding; find your bodyweight to get your estimate. Calories burned in one hour: Weight in lbs ------------------> Cals Expended 100 --------------------------------------> 290 110 --------------------------------------> 317 120 --------------------------------------> 347 130 --------------------------------------> 374 140 --------------------------------------> 402 150 -------------...

Walking on Incline to Slim Thighs: The Best Leg Toning Exercise?

It can be really hard to slim the thighs, especially for women; men tend to store their extra weight around the waist while the extra calories women eat seem to flock in a flurry to the leg and hip area. Walking on an incline to slim thighs has a twofold benefit; it serves as a lower body toning exercise that firms the entire trouble zone, and it also burns significant calories. It’s impossible to achieve targeted weight loss on a specific body part, but an overall reduction in bodyweight can help, which is exactly why covering your miles at an incline is a fantastic thigh toning exercise . Many people ask the questions; “does walking help you lose weight”, and “can walking tone thighs”. The answer is going to be different for each individual, depending on their existing fitness level, the intensity and incline of the trek, and the distance covered, but for the most part the answer is yes. Exercising at an incline does call heavily upon lower body muscles...

Common Mistakes of Yoga Newcomers: Yoga Mistakes to Avoid

Yoga is fantastic for stress relief, flexibility, and overall health. It can be a little bit intimidating for newcomers, but that's no reason to shy away from the exercise and miss out on all of the health benefits. Here are 3 common mistakes to avoid that beginners often make. #1 Being overly anxious, stressed, or self-conscious Do everything you can to leave your worries at the door when taking a class. Don't compare yourself to your classmates, don't worry about what happened at work today, and don't fret over being judged as a newcomer. Relaxation is one of the keys to reaping the full rewards of this workout. Working to become familiar with it in the privacy of your own home is one way to get your feet wet without worrying about being a complete newbie. The only disadvantage to doing it at home is that you wont have an instructor there to ask questions. If you would like to try it in the comfort of your own living room, check out these home videos: 15 Minute Tota...

Core Exercise Equipment: Essentials for Core Ab Workouts

The word "Core" refers to your abdominal, lower back, and oblique muscles. The term has become a buzz word over the last couple of decades and now there are almost as many pieces of equipment to work these muscle groups as there are fast food places (coincidence? I think not!). So, of the seemingly millions of pieces of equipment to choose from, all touting almost miracle like results, which are worth your money? Get ready, because this is going to be a long list. You need a thick exercise mat , an exercise ball and...... Well, actually that’s it. Were you expecting the Ab Lounger? No. The best pieces of training equipment you can get are a thick exercise mat and a physio-ball. Make sure you get a mat that has some cushion to it; a yoga mat is suitable for yoga, but is not ideal for abdominal exercises. Look for a mat that is a few inches longer than the length from your head to your mid-thigh, a bit wider than shoulder width, and at least 1/4 of an inch thick. An exer...

5 Easy Ways to Burn 500 Calories: 500 Calorie Workouts

Breaking larger goals, for example, a weight loss of 10 pounds, into smaller and more attainable goals is essential to being successful. There are 3,500 calories in one pound; this seems like a high number but it is possible to easily lose 1 pound a week just by burning an extra 500 a day. Every single movement the body makes requires the burning of energy. This should provide relief to those looking to lose weight as it means that slaving away on the treadmill is not the only way to drop extra pounds. You don't necessarily have to go to the gym to lose weight. Here are five easy ways to burn 500 calories: 1. Walk briskly at an incline of 20% for 1 hour. Swing your arms and walk at a pace that makes it hard to hold up a conversation. Break up the monotony of a treadmill workout by taking your walk outdoors when weather permits. If you focus on keeping up your intensity, you will expend your 1/7 of a pound. Alternate low impact walking with strength training- try this Total Body T...

Running in the Rain: What Running Rain Gear do I Need?

Taking a running routine outdoors is a great way to prevent boredom and break up the monotony of a treadmill workout. However if you live in an area with frequent nasty weather days, preparing yourself to brave the outdoors wisely can help maintain the habit. After all, the last thing we all need is a reason not to workout. Follow these steps to keep your outdoor routine enjoyable and safe. Invest in quality running rain gear and outdoor clothes. The most important component of exercising in inclement weather is the gear; a waterproof jacket and shoes are a must in order to keep dry during a run. Light jackets that move easily with the body are essential gear that will help keep you comfortable. Make sure that your waterproof running shoes have good traction in order to prevent avoidable slips and injuries. Dress in layers. Dressing in layers can help a runner to easily adjust once body temperature rises. Also look for clothes that have zippered vents such as jackets that have zippe...

How to get a Toned Stomach: 5 Steps to Toning your Stomach

Flat, toned abs are probably the most common goal of exercisers. It’s also an aspiration that is much more complicated than simply doing hundreds and hundreds of sit ups each day. With consistency, these 5 steps can make toning your abs easy. Keep reading to learn what it takes to get rid of excess body fat fat and replace it with a smooth, flat stomach. Step 1: Cardio training and Strength Training . Maintaining a healthy body weight is crucial in getting a toned belly. You can do a thousand sit-ups every day, but with too much body fat you will never see the muscles that you’re working. Unless you are at a healthy weight your abs muscles will stay hidden underneath the fat. Cardio & total body strength training will help you burn calories and keep a lean figure. Aim for at least 30 minutes of cardio at least 4 days a week for the best results for toning. Step 2: Abdominal exercises. Exercising those abdominal muscles is important for getting a washboard stomach bu...

Booty Boot Camp, Round 2: Lower Body Workouts at Home

This second version of the Booty Boot Camp is sure to leave your glutes, hamstrings, quads, and inner and outer thighs screaming. In this case, pain is progress, so let’s jump right into the lower body workout. Workout Structure: • Warm up by doing 10 minutes of cardio • Do 15 repetitions of each exercise • Do the entire lower body workout 3 times through Want to workout along with a video instead? Check out this free Butt & Thigh Barre Workout Video Pilates Leg Pull Facing Down (15 on each leg) 30 Second Wall Sit (Make it a full minute if 30 seconds is too easy!) Mountain Climbers Pilates Kneeling Side Leg Raise (repeat on left and right sides) Reverse Lunge with Rear Leg Raise (15 on each leg) Squat Jumps Ice Skaters (15 on each leg) Crossover Lunge (15 on each leg) Single Leg Lateral Hops (repeat on each leg) Single Leg Ventral Hops (repeat on each leg) Cool down and stretch This routine is a great addition to a cardio workout. In order to burn the ...

Weighted Hula Hoop Calories Burned

Hula hooping is a good workout, especially for the back, abs and obliques, but it also engages the lower body and provides a substantial cardiovascular challenge when done for sustained periods of time. A weighted hula hoop works exactly the same way that a regular one does but it tends to be easier to use for extended periods of time and rotates in a smoother, more fluid fashion. The intentional momentum you have to create and the effort required from your muscles to keep rotations going benefits your muscles and cardiovascular endurance, so you are toning and burning calories at the same time. How many calories does a weighted hula hoop burn? The American Council on Exercise (ACE) funded a study completed at the University of Wisconsin, and found that a 30 minute weighted hula hoop workout which consisted of hooping moves and twirling motions around the arms, waist, and legs burned roughly 7 calories per minute. The participants of the study were as young as 16 and as old as 59 a...

How to get Bigger Boobs without Surgery - Exercises for Bigger Breasts

Breasts are predominately a fatty tissue that resides directly over top of the pectoralis major and minor. Though building the size of the breasts themselves cannot be achieved in any other way aside from putting on additional body fat, you can make them more predominate and “perky” by increasing the mass of the muscles behind the breasts themselves. The workout above is a good example of a way to build up your upper body muscles and get the appearance of a bigger chest. Exercises for bigger breasts are going to target the muscles directly underneath and around the tissue; these are the best moves that you can do to get bigger boobs without surgery. Incline Chest Press - At an incline, the chest press builds the top of the chest directly underneath the clavicle, also known as the collarbone. This pulls skin upwards, causing the breasts to be lifted. Decline Chest Press - A decline angle works the lower part of the pectoral muscle, which is directly under the fullest part...

How to Do Cardio Workouts at Home with No Equipment

Living in Northwest Washington, I understand the frustration of having few options aside from the gym when the weather’s got you stuck indoors. That’s where home cardio workouts can become a liberator in terms of being spared gym boredom and monotony. Sure the gym’s an easy enough option when it’s nasty outside, but don’t you ever just (with every bone in your body) not want to haul off to the gym? It’s not that hard of a thing to understand really, I mean it’s not always an appealing thought to unfailingly take the time to drive to the gym, change clothes, and hop on a treadmill to get in a daily dose of cardio, especially if you don’t like feeling like a hamster on a wheel. Aside from being convenient, cardio workouts at home with no equipment are free; you don’t need a gym membership or anything else. If you work at home on the computer or in a cubicle in an otherwise completely sedentary job (which can be a near death sentence ...

Best Jump Rope for Fat Loss Workouts

Jumping rope is a fantastic way to get your heart rate up, and it burns between 9 and 15 calories per minute (depending on your bodyweight, gender, body fat percentage, etc). This simple cardio tool engages almost all of the body’s muscles, including the glutes, quads, triceps, biceps, lower back, abs, deltoids and obliques. The exact muscle groups that you target will depend on what kind of styles of jumping rope you utilize. At around only $10 for this extremely portable cardio tool, it is a fantastic way to blast calories and tone up with minimal equipment. How to choose the best jump rope for fat loss? There are a number of things you want to consider when shopping around for this piece of equipment – they might be cheap, but buying 10 flimsy, ineffective versions before you happen across the best jump rope that works for you is still a waste of money. Here’s the checklist to run through to find a product that works: Length - Obviously, you want a length that...

Natural Brazilian Buttock Lift: Exercises to Lift the Buttocks

You don’t have to go under the knife for an expensive Brazilian Buttock lift; there are exercises to boost the buttocks that will get you the booty you want! Think about it, if you were to go in for a surgery of this sort, you would be sedated, cut open, run the risk of infection and other complications, and you would never be able to say that your bum is “real”. If you do butt lifting exercises, you’ll tone your entire body naturally, in a way that improves your overall health and releases feel-good endorphins. These exercises don’t just help you get a “bigger booty”. They tone the glutes and fight back against the effects of time & gravity, giving you a shapely, perky backside. Try this butt lifting workout for yourself; within 1-2 weeks you will notice the difference in your lower body. Workout Structure: The exercises are broken apart into groups of two. Do one minute of each exercise, doing each set of exercises at least twice through...

Complete Ski and Snowboarding Workout Plan - Strength and Agility

Printable Routine Below This comprehensive Ski and Snowboarding Workout program is designed to increase strength, speed, coordination, cardiovascular and muscular endurance, and flexibility in the muscle groups that are most used in these physically demanding winter sports. Focusing on doing these exercises 2-4 times a week prior to and during ski and snowboard season will help to reduce fatigue and chance of injury when on the mountain. This program includes: • Strength Training Exercises for Snowboarding and Skiing (below) • Snowboarding and Skiing Stretching Routine • Ski and Snowboarding Cardiovascular Training Program Agility, Balance, and Strength Training Exercises Snowboarding and Skiing Day 1 Dumbbell Fly on PhysioBall (Single Handed) What it does: Builds chest muscles at the same time as training core stability to better connect upper and lower body motion. Description: Start with ball between shoulder blades, dumbbell above shoulder, palms facing in towards...

Weight Machine Workout Routines - Printable Gym Workout Plans

Having a structured machine workout routine is not just for those new to the gym scene. Following a predetermined plan makes it more likely that you have a well-rounded routine (no neglected muscles here), and that you get the maximum benefit from your gym time. This gym workout routine is meant to help you cut down on any time spent wandering around, trying to figure out which machine to do next. It’s also a very balanced routine because it hits all antagonistic muscle groups. Weight Machine Circuit Gym Workout Upper Body Chest Press Seated Row Overhead Press Lat Pull Down Bicep Curl Triceps Extension Lower Body Leg Extension Leg Curl Inside Thigh (Adduction Machine) Outside Thigh (Abduction Machine) Leg Press Calf Raise Break the upper and lower body circuits into two different workouts done on two different days. It works really well to train the upper body while the lower body is still sore, and vice versa. Example Workout Program : Monday: Lower Body Circuit Tuesday: Upper ...

Workout and Exercises for Bigger Buttocks: How to get Bigger Buttocks

So you want bigger, rounder glutes? Forget the butt pads and strategically stuffed underwear and build a real one with these exercises for a bigger booty. This workout is going to hurt, but in a good way. Just remember you were the one who looked up this workout! If an exercise is too hard to do for a full 60 seconds, just take a second or two to catch your breath and then start again. How to do this workout: There are two routines on this page that can help you reach your goals; the video above, and the printable routine below. The exercises are to be done in pairs. Do the indicated time period of each exercise (noting when you should repeat the minute on the opposite side of the body and when you should divide the minute between the halves of the body). Complete 3 rounds of each pair before moving onto the next group of pairs. To get a more toned, round bum faster, make the workout even harder by holding handweights or dumbbells in your hands. For most exercises, it works best to h...

How Many Calories does the Wii Just Dance Game Burn?

Check out the full length workout video above to find out how you can burn even more calories playing the game, and tone your entire body at the same time. How many calories can you burn playing Just Dance 2? To find out how many calories the Wii game Just Dance burns, I wore a mechanism called the Body Bugg, and played thirty nonstop minutes of the video game. In half an hour I burned a whopping 190 calories playing Wii Just Dance 2 (which should be very similar to the first version in terms of expenditure). Looking for more ways to get fit in your own living room? Check out Fitness Blender's FREE full length workout videos . To break that down, that is roughly: 6 calories a minute 96 calories in 15 minutes 190 in 30 minutes 380 in 1 hour 570 in 1½ hours 760 in 2 hours If you are heavier than 130 lbs and/or male, your caloric burn while playing will be even higher. Hypothetically speaking, 1 ½ hours of Just Dance 2, or JD 3 every day of the week would help you to lo...

How to Burn More Calories Playing Wii Just Dance: The Just Dance Workout

The workout video above was built for pairing with different physically active video games, especially any of the versions of Wii Just Dance or Zumba Fitness. The video will tell you exactly how it works, but here's the gist of it; just hit play, follow along with the different bodyweight toning exercises, and then hit pause when the video tells you to so that you can do a song or bout of cardio. You can also do the print version listed below. Doing either method of Fitness Blender's Just Dance Workout a few times a week will burn a lot of calories, as well as tone your glutes, abs, thighs and arms. You can easily lose weight playing this game – especially if you use either of our plans to incorporate light strength training and toning moves into your dance cardio. The video game can easily be turned into an effective home workout by doing specific bodyweight exercises in between songs. The video above & printable workout routine below combine the dancing of the game...