Workout Wednesday: Want to Quit Smoking? Start Exercising!!
Smoking is bad. Quitting smoking is hard. But exercising can make quitting easier, and make sliding back into smoking less likely. That’s the word from a big new study, which tracked the health and habits of 434,190 people in Taiwan from 1996 to 2008. Smokers who got just 15 minutes of exercise a day were […]
Read MoreWorkout Wednesday: Summer is here!
June 22 marks the first day of summer. I don’t know about you but I’m getting really excited about the 2012 Olympics in London. If you feel like you would rather veg out on the beach and lick ice cream cones, why not turn to your favorite summer Olympic sport and start copy-catting. Workouts can stagnate pretty […]
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Workout Wednesday: Life is an Obstacle Course
Last Saturday we ran our first obstacle course mud run. What’s that? The Mud Factor calls it a hardcore 5K obstacle mud run. What do I call it? A metaphor for life. Obstacle courses are used by the armed forces to familiarize recruits with the kind of tactical movements necessary for combat. Obstacle courses are […]
Read MoreWorkout Wednesday: E is For Effort
“I tell patients that designing your own exercise program is like deciding to represent yourself in court. Being an attorney requires specialized knowledge that is acquired over many years of intensive study and practice. Designing your optimum exercise program also requires extensive training in a variety of areas, and includes an assessment to create an […]
Read MoreWorkout Wednesday: Bye Bye Muffin Top!
Abductors: The abductor muscle group is composed of four muscles: 1. Gluteus Maximus (your butt) 2. Gluteus Minimus (your outer hip) 3. Gluteus Medius (your butt) 4. Tensor Fascia Lata (your hip) How to Train Them: In order to avoid the dreaded muffin top, training the external obliques and abductors together is critical. Remember, nutrition […]
Read MoreWorkout Wednesday: Falling Off The Workout Wagon
Daylight Savings made you lose a whole hour sleep. It’s pitch black outside at six AM. It’s raining here in California and your body is still recuperating from a winter cold. I’ll bet the last thing you want to do is workout. We all go through the mid-season training slump. Here are three reasons to get right back on track: Age wrinkles […]
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Workout Wednesday: 10 Reasons to Lift Weights For Life–Especially Women
But I’m afraid of getting big manly muscles… We hear this fear all of the time so I will quickly assure you–especially you women–that you must adhere to a very particular repetition and load scheme to achieve hypertrophy (big manly muscles). See photo below left. Reasons to Lift Weights for Life 1. More muscle means […]
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Workout Wednesday: Achieve Failure
Growing up, we all learn to understand failure as an intrinsically negative concept–an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful–lack of success. In fitness, failure is something we strive for. In fitness, failing means exiting the comfort zone, taking a risk, letting experience teach you a little more every time you perform the movement you keep failing at. Learn to challenge […]
Read MoreWorkout Wednesday: 5 Ways to Reduce Post-Workout Soreness
Nobody likes to be sore after a workout. Although soreness cannot be completely eliminated, it can be controlled. Proper post-workout recovery protocols will also allow your body to recover more quickly and respond better to your workouts. Muscles grow and become stronger when they are subjected to forces that cause tiny tears in the muscle fibers. […]
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