FitSugar

Your Most Popular Exercise Myths Debunked

Leta Shy — Thu, 12 May 2011 11:55:58 PDT

Earlier this week we asked you which exercise myth had you convinced for way too long, and you weren't too shy to let us know! We already debunked the myth that muscle turns into fat, but here are the most popular myths that you believed and why they are so completely untrue!

Myth: Strength training makes you bulk up.

You said: "[I believed] that strength training would make you bulk up - [but] it's HARD for women to put on tons of muscle without really trying!!" - Gabriela Une Vie Seine
Fact: Many of you said you believed the bulking myth. In reality, however, building huge muscle requires testosterone coupled with a serious weight-training regimen (not to mention a protein-filled diet), so you aren't going to sculpt a bodybuilder physique unless you really want to. Strength training is an important part of any exercise routine; the more muscle mass you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate will be. And while the rate of muscle building depends on your body type, not only will strength training give you a higher calorie-burning rate, but it'll make you more defined as well (as celebrity trainer Jackie Warner says, "Would you rather have fat under those jeans or a little bit of tone?").

Myth: You can eat whatever you want as long as you exercise.

You said: "[I believed that] if I work out everyday I could eat whatever I wanted. Duh!!!!" - Facebook user Brighty
Fact: Whether or not you gain or lose weight is all about the math. Losing pounds happens when you have a caloric deficit, meaning you eat fewer calories then you burn. Whether you want to maintain, gain, or lose weight while you exercise, having your metabolic rate checked and wearing a heart rate monitor can help you know exactly how much you should be eating. What you eat is also important, especially if you're training for a race; it's important to find the perfect balance of fats, protein, and carbs that will keep you fueled and energized.

Find three more popular myths debunked after the break!

5 Reasons You Should Be Lifting Weights

FitSugar — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 13:30:00 PST

Resistance training, weight lifting, strength training - they are all variations of the same theme. If you are resistant to adding strength training into your program let me share the five great reasons to start pumping iron according to realbuzz.com.

Here are the highlights:

Maintains strength: Everything we do requires all-round body strength - from simple movements such as eating a meal to more difficult tasks such as lifting and pushing. You can maintain your ability to carry out everyday tasks without difficulty.
Reduces injury risk: Weight training not only strengthens muscles but also connective tissues, like tendons. Tendon injuries in sport and ordinary activities are very common - but doing a regular resistance workout will reduce the likelihood of these injuries occurring.
Prevents osteoporosis: Osteoporosis - or brittle-bone disease - affects both men and women, and you can strengthen the whole skeleton through resistance training, because lifting weights actually stimulates the skeleton to get thicker and stronger.
Helps weight management: The more muscle your body has, the more calories you burn - whether you are exercising or not! An extra pound of muscle equates to burning an extra 50 calories a day - so hitting the gym for a weights workout will help keep you slim!
Is essential for power and speed in sport: Muscle power is a key factor at every level of sporting performance. If you do not have good muscular strength, then your ability to run, jump, throw, or kick will be reduced. Resistance training enables athletes to specifically target the appropriate muscle groups that are relevant for their sport.

Source

4 Reasons to Try TRX Suspension Training

Leta Shy — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:45:17 PST

It may have been developed for the Navy SEALs, but you don't have to be in secret-weapon shape to work out with TRX. The concept of the TRX suspension training is pretty basic: you use two cables on your feet or hands to partially suspend your body and use your own body weight as resistance. The muscle groups you work as well as how hard you work them all depend on the positioning of your body on the cables.

To find out more about the benefits of the workout, I spoke with Randy Hetrick, former Navy SEAL and current CEO and founder of TRX, at the unveiling of the newly expanded TRX Training Center in San Francisco, CA. If you've ever wondered about all those odd-looking straps hanging in your gym, read on to find out more about working out with TRX.

It's for anyone: So, who should do TRX? Everyone, Randy says. "People who like yoga and Pilates tend to like TRX because there are some crossovers. But it's also great for runners, cyclists, or anyone who is an endurance athlete and wants to have more strength training." Even reluctant "power lifters" are usually swayed by the workout once they see how effective it can be at building muscle, he says.
It's beginner-friendly: Another reason to try a TRX class - it's easy to tweak exercises to your own level of difficulty and ramp up when necessary. "It's all user-defined," Randy says. "You determine how hard or how easy you really want to go. So really advanced or really beginners can work out in the same class and get what's right for them."

Read on for more reasons to try TRX.

From the Fit Community: Can You Really Make Your Muscles Longer and Leaner?

Fit Community — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:23:17 PST

FitSugar reader JessicaSmithTV wanted to know: are all those claims about creating longer and leaner muscles through exercise true? She asked an expert and posted the answer in our Fit Community.

You've probably heard it numerous times before - a workout that promises to give you longer, leaner muscles (we've often heard this said about PIlates or ballet-based training methods) . . . so can this really be true? Can a muscle truly become longer and/or leaner?

I asked "The Exercise Doctor" Michele Olson - PhD, creator of the Perfect Legs, Glutes, & Abs DVD, and professor at Auburn University Montgomery - to answer this for us. She has studied various forms of exercise extensively and published research on Pilates.

"Muscles are already comprised of 'fat-free' (aka lean) tissue, so any amount of muscle is, by definition, lean. You can't have 'leaner' muscles," says Olson. "If you were to add more muscles from resistance training, you could increase the amount of lean muscle you have and, therefore, have more lean muscle." But most of these methods (such as Pilates or ballet-/barre-style exercises) use relatively light to moderate resistance, which is not enough to create a significant increase in the amount of lean muscle mass you have.

Read on to learn more about if you can make your muscles long and lean.

10 Tone-Up Tweaks to Get a Better Burn

Fitness Magazine — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 04:39:36 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Fitness Magazine here on FitSugar!

It happens to the best of us. Your gym routine becomes just that - a routine. Bust out of your plateau and burn more fat with these strength-training tweaks from the pros.

Make Every Day Your Best Burn Yet
Supercharge your gym routine by ditching the moves that have stopped delivering results and replacing them with ones that will challenge and build more muscle. Start with these total-body toning tips from some of our favorite trainers.

Arms: Change the Weight
Dumbbell curls are great for your arms, but unless you're changing up the sets and reps, your biceps will get accustomed to the level of stress you're placing on them, meaning you'll stop seeing the sculpting results. "Few people use the proper weight and even fewer graduate the amount of weight being used during arm exercises," says Richard Miller, owner and CEO of GymSource in New York City.

When you curl the same weight for a long period of time, your body send nutrients to the muscle you're working to help recover. If you pick up an eight-pound dumbbell every time, your muscles aren't experiencing varied stress and won't add new nutrient masses to that area, making your arms fall flat. Use this cheat sheet to know when it's time to step it up a notch:

You should feel fatigue at 15 reps or fewer. If you don't, add more weight.
Aim to increase weight by less than 10 percent. If you normally lift eight-pound weights, up it to 10 pounds, and so on.

See more helpful tips after the break!

From Beginner to Expert: 4 Ways to Become a Better Runner

Leta Shy — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:42:26 PST

Have you got the running bug? If you've recently committed to a running program, it may seem like there's not much prep involved, except downloading your favorite playlist. Running is a popular pastime because it doesn't require much know-how to start - just pick out your shoes and go. But that doesn't mean that there isn't technique. Whether you're starting out or never thought twice about your regular runs, read on for tips on how to become a better runner.

Learn the basics: The barriers to entry may be low, but that doesn't mean running isn't a skill. If you are a beginner runner, pay attention to how you run. Listen to your gait - you shouldn't be running unevenly or hitting the ground hard. Read more tips on analyzing your running style here. And remember that mid- or forefoot-striking is best (as opposed to heel striking) for helping prevent injuries.

Read more tips on proper running after the break.

4 Ways to Go Hard at the Gym

Leta Shy — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:31:20 PST

You've suited up and trekked your way to the gym, so why stop there? Make sure you don't waste time at the gym with these tips that'll keep you sweating and burning calories.

Intervals, intervals, intervals: One of the best ways to push your endurance and strength to your limits is to do high-intensity interval training, or HIIT. Not only does doing intervals burn more calories, but HIIT helps you increase your endurance as well burn belly fat - all in a shorter amount of time.

Save the gossip. A workout buddy is great for motivating you to get to the gym, but once you both are there, don't waste your time by making the hour more about catching up than burning calories. Instead, save the gossip for your post-workout refuel. Nothing like the promise of a good long chat to motivate you to finish your workout fast.

Keep reading for more ways to increase your intensity at the gym.

8 Small Ways to Lose Big Pounds in 2012

Prevention — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:06:22 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

Quadruple your weight loss by making one easy tweak to your routine per week
By Alyssa Shaffer

If your goal is to lose weight and exercise more, forget the deprivation diet and marathon workouts. New research shows that taking baby steps - not giant leaps -is the best way to get lasting results. A study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that participants who made one small, potentially permanent change in their food choices and/or physical activity each week (such as drinking one fewer can of soda or walking five more minutes each day) lost more than twice as much belly fat, two and half more inches off their waistlines, and about four times more weight during a four-month program, compared with those who followed traditional calorie-restriction and physical-activity guidelines.

"When you focus on just a couple of small changes at a time, you begin to ingrain some healthy habits that last for a lifetime, rather than trying an all-or-nothing approach that more often than not fails because it's too hard to follow," says Lesley Lutes, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of psychology at East Carolina University. We've uncovered these simple steps (with proven results) to help you move more, eat less, and look and feel better than ever. Add just one or two a week to your regular routine and you can lose nearly three inches off your waistline and be about 10 pounds lighter come in a few months. Even better: Once these healthy habits become second nature, they'll benefit you for a lifetime.

1. Pick Up a Pen After Every Meal
Mindlessly munching on a bag of chips could result in easily polishing off the whole thing; write down how much you've eaten and you're more likely to practice portion control. Keeping a food log helps control extra calories in two ways: the combination of plain old reality check (I just ate 30 minutes ago!) and awareness that what you're putting in your mouth will soon be recorded for posterity. In a recent study, people who kept a food journal lost twice as much weight as those who didn't. When they combined it with a moderate diet and exercise plan, they lost an average of 13 pounds in 6 months. Journaling also gives you insight on your eating habits, says Lutes. Do you skip meals? Eat the same during the week as on the weekend? Binge when you're feeling stressed? "Knowing your routine helps you figure out what changes are right for you," she adds.

Avoid these 14 "health food" diet disasters.

2. Limit High-Fat Foods to One Per Week
Tag the high-fat/high-calorie foods that are typically your favorites (our top five: cookies, candy, ice cream, potato chips, and fries) and gradually downshift. "If you're eating six of these foods a week, try to go down to five," says Lutes. Each week, drop another until you're at no more than one or two; at the same time, add in a good-for-you choice like baby carrots, sautéed broccoli, oranges, and other fresh fruits and veggies.

Keep reading for more simple tip to help you lose big.

Class Review: Sport Club LA's Aspen Ascent Gets You Mountain-Ready

Leta Shy — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 03:20:20 PST

If you live for the mountains during the Winter, your gym time probably includes exercises to strengthen your lower-body muscles and challenge your balance. Aspen Ascent, a new class at Sports Club LA locations, offers such a workout for skiers and snowboarders alike.

Like many strength-training cardio classes, Aspen Ascent focuses on circuit training with supersets grouped by muscle area, to pump up your heart rate while challenging your muscles. But Aspen Ascent is specifically designed for those who want to enhance their snow sport skills.

The class is divided into three sections: speed and agility, strength and balance, and core and flexibility. A short warmup period at the beginning includes light cardio, such as jumping jacks (my instructor had us do a set of always-exhausting mountain climbers afterward as well). Each of the three sections last between 10 to about 20 minutes, depending on the length of the class, which varies by location. After the core and flexibility section, which focuses on abs and yoga- and Pilates-inspired moves, there are a few minutes of cooldown to stretch your muscles.

Lunges and squats play an important role in Aspen Ascent, as do unstable surfaces to improve balance and upper body work, so many exercises mix a pair of weights with gliding discs. In my class we did two "runs" of every exercise - a short set for 30 seconds with a short break, followed by a minute of the same exercise and a longer break.

See what I thought about Aspen Ascent after the break.

Intense Cardio For Those Who Hate the Treadmill

Leta Shy — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 02:41:31 PDT

I'm a fan of the treadmill, but I have many otherwise fitness-loving friends who'd rather do almost anything else than a 30-minute gym run. If you're the same, here are other ways to reap the same calorie-burning benefits without a seemingly boring run.

Try a different machine: Think your cardio only comes from the treadmill? Think again. Raise your heart rate with another machine at the gym. Try a spinning class to burn major calories, check out the row machine for an all-body workout, or go full-force on the elliptical. Each of these will burn major calories while being less hard on your legs and knees.

Intervals: Many people say they hate the treadmill because it's boring and don't think that they can run for a long time. High-intensity intervals help in both these cases. And you don't have to stick to the treadmill. Bundle up with your favorite cold-weather running gear and hit the trails, and alternate your vigorous runs with jogging.

More intense cardio ideas after the break.