FitSugar

KettleBells: New Weight Training

FitSugar — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 11:00:00 -0700

Have you noticed a new funny/medieval looking dumbbell type of thing at the gym that looks like fun. Sounds like it could be Kettlebells...

What is a Kettlebell? Basically a Kettlebell is a rather old fashioned looking training tool that looks like a cannonball with a handle attached to it. They are designed to be swung (with a controlled motion of course), rather than lifted giving a more dynamic workout that is great for building functional strength. Kettlebelling (as some like to call it) is a great supplement to your current dumbbell/barbell lifting routine. You'll instantly feel like smashing something with it, but I recommend against it, those babies are meant for training only - It's fun and definitely adds variety to your workout.

I would recommend getting a book, dvd or finding an instructor rather than going at it alone. Especially since the multi planar movement, while great for muscle development, can lead to injuries if not done properly. A fun new group class (Kettlebells swung to music) led by fitness pro Keli Roberts, Total Body KB Blast, will be launched soon as well, so look for that as well as other Kettlebell classes at your local gym now. Really interested? You can always buy your own Kettlebell from Amazon.com

What Do You Work More, Your Arms or Your Legs?

FitSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:47:21 -0700

When I work out on my own, I am all about lunges and squats - anything to work my legs. I might throw in a few biceps curls or some push-ups, too. When working with Hannah, my trainer at Equinox, we do a lot of upper body work - I feel like she has taught me every kind of push-up variation imaginable. My arms and back are becoming a lot stronger using the cable pulley machine and some kettle bells. What about you . . .

Favorite Excuse Not to Lift: I Don't Want Huge Arms

FitSugar — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:30:58 -0700

Strength training is known to tone your muscles, but many women skip it for fear that their arms will bulk up like a body builder. This is a very valid concern, but the truth is, muscle mass needs testosterone and heavy weight training in order to bulk up. Women have a much lower concentration of this hormone, so it's much harder for us to build enormously ripped muscles. That coupled with the fact that we're not lifting massive amounts of weight, so you don't need to worry about turning into the female version of Arnold Schwarzenegger from a few weekly strength training sessions.

So now that you know lifting won't bulk up your arms and other muscles, I should remind you that strength training has many benefits. Not only does it define your muscles, it also makes you stronger so exercise and other physical activities will seem easier. It can also strengthen your bones, which lowers your risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures. All that and it boosts your metabolism.

For tips on starting a strength training regimen, read more.

For all these reasons, get started strength training with these six basic exercises. Then begin expanding your weight lifting horizons by doing exercises that incorporate dumbbells, machines, resistance bands, kettle bells, medicine balls, and no equipment at all. You'll become a stronger, fitter person overall, without monstrous muscles.

Healthy Dose Link Time

FitSugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:00:00 -0800

Swing your weights around and have fun with kettle bells - Fit Bottomed Girls
How chocolate croissant eating pastry chefs stay thin - Vitamin G
Calf stretches for stiletto wearing ladies - Fresh Fitness Tips
Quit cigarettes now! Today is the Great American Smokeout - Daily Spark
Avoid turkey induced coma with these three tips - That's Fit
Is there a connection between your weight and your paycheck? - Elastic Waist
Tone your belly without crunches; this is a must-do video - ExerciseTV

Source

Tyra Boxes Her Way into a Bikini

FitSugar — Fri, 18 May 2007 00:12:24 -0700

We've all seen Tyra go on her ty-rades about her body and how the media perceives her. Ever since the whole bathing suit drama, I think she's been looking pretty fabulous these days and I've been wondering what she's been up to...

Well, her trainer Martin Snow of The Trinity Boxing Club gives UsWeekly the scoop on what Ms. Tyra's been doing to get bikini ready and to really give the paparazzi something to talk about:

US: What kind of moves do you do with Tyra?
Martin Snow: I have a boxing gym so I basically do the moves with her that a fighter would do. She tends to get bored just doing conventional stuff. She has an athletic body, so I just try to bring it out. She responds very well to exercise. I do old-man Charles Atlas workouts. Stuff that old-time fighters used to do to get in shape.

US: What kind of client is Tyra? Is she really motivated?
MS: She is fantastic. She is very driven and works hard and is super nice. If someone is really enthusiastic, that charges up the trainer. I have to motivate someone, but then I get motivated again.

US: When she came to you six weeks ago, did she have a specific area that she wanted to workout?
MS: We don’t target-train people. If you train like an athlete, a byproduct of that will be looking good. She will do what it takes to get in shape.

US: What is a typical routine?
MS: I bring her over to the park. We will do some warm-ups, some running drills, a parachute run, where I put a parachute around her and she runs with it. We will do some medicine work where she will take heavy medicine balls and run and chase after them, and throw them at at different angles. We challenged these guys to handball but they punked out. A game like handball is great. And then we do kettle bells. I bring them out to the park. They are fantastic tools. For women, they are awesome. They target the core and you can do it every day. She is getting a pair for home and for work.

US:How often does she workout?
MS: She comes in around three times a week now. And each time it’s different. We will take these old tractor tires and she will swing sledgehammers. We do bags filled with sand. And of course the boxing.

US:How long do the sessions last?
MS: Around and hour to an hour and half. She is not afraid to get dirty. She is not afraid to go to the park and have people look at her like she's crazy. She is not worried about image.

US: Does she do crunches?
MS: No, I really stay away from doing anything you would find in a health club routine. We're very low frills. If you can plug it in, we probably don’t use it. And if it was invented after 1950, we don’t use it. It’s very effective. You don’t need expensive equipment or high tech stuff. Just hard work.

300 - Rep Spartan Workout

FitSugar — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 10:15:00 -0700

The latest movie to crush blockbuster records is 300, the much anticipated epic on Spartan and Persian history. Forget breaking blockbuster records, what about those abs? Gerard Butler's six-pack is beyond impressive.

Being curious as to how he got so damn cut so damn fast, I searched high and low for his exercise routine and Men's Health is reporting that crushing skulls Spartan style would be easier than Gerard's killer workout from Mark Twight, a former world-class mountain climber.

To see if the "300-rep Spartan Workout" is for you, read more

...to hasten Butler's mind-body transformation, [Twight] created what he calls the "300-rep Spartan workout." (Trust us, 100 reps is plenty hard.) It goes like this: Without resting between exercises, Butler performs 25 pullups, 50 deadlifts with 135 pounds, 50 pushups, 50 jumps on a 24-inch box, 50 floor wipers, 50 single-arm clean-and-presses using a 36-pound kettle bell and 25 more pullups. All this, in addition to utilizing other unconventional yet equally taxing training methods, such as tire flipping and gymnastics-style ring training. Sound like hell? It is.

Five weeks before the cameras were to roll, Butler took on extra sessions with a Venezuelan bodybuilder named Franco LiCastro in order to exaggerate the physique he was after. "I wanted to look really strong," says Butler. "I've seen so many actors play these kinds of roles, and you see all this equipment on either a big belly or skinny little arms."

The workout sounds a bit extreme because it is and you should only try such a routine under supervision of a fitness professional. Butler reported that the most challenging part of it all was to stay fit after the cameras were rolling. Want your man to look like a warrior (minus the blood stains and aggression issues)? Men's Health gives a few tips.

Should we expect to see warrior fitness classes similar to the "300-rep Spartan workout" popping up at gyms nationwide? You can bet on it.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures