FitSugar

DVD Review: 10 Minute Solution KnockOut Body

FitSugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 04:30:00 -0700

Famous ladies like Lauren Conrad, Jenna Fischer, and Adriana Lima swear that boxing is a great way to get in shape without getting bored. I concur with their assessments after working out with 10 Minute Solution KnockOut Body Workout Kit with Weighted Gloves ($22). As with the other 10 Minute Solution DVDs, the video is broken up into five, 10-minute workouts that can be done separately, all at once, or you can customize by pairing two or three workouts. I chose to do all of them together and found myself glistening with sweat by the end.

While I enjoyed all of the segments, the Fat Attack and Kickbox Cross Train sections were my favorite, and I wore the provided weighted gloves for extra challenge. The workouts are designed to get your heart rate up with punching, kicking, jumping, and sculpting moves. Both segments incorporate varieties of lunges, and the Kickbox Cross Train is particularly appealing for those looking to spice up typical gym moves. The coach, Jessica Smith, takes you through exercises like squats into overhead tricep extensions with an added heel lift, and reverse lunges into backwards kicks.

The 50-minutes flew by and I had a blast. It provides an intermediate level workout, so I wouldn't rely on it for your sole source of cardio, but it will definitely get your heart rate up and burn some calories. I know I'll be popping this video in on days that I just don't feel like leaving the house to work out. To see a clip of the DVD, read more.

Get the Bod: Sandra Bullock

FitSugar — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:50:00 -0700

According to my pal Buzz, Sandra Bullock rocks the pencil skirt in her new film The Proposal.

This is no coincidence. According to InStyle Sandra wanted to "emulate her character and look buff and smashing in suits." Sounds like her hard work paid off. The lovely comedic actress doesn't shy away from variety; she mixes up her fitness routine. While in LA, Sandra incorporates Pilates, kick boxing, and weight training, including plyometrics, into her regimen. But back home in Austin, TX, she runs and rides her bike. The variety of fitness activities helps Sandra stay motivated and keeps workout boredom at bay. Always frank and funny, when asked if health was her sole motivation for working out, she replied:

"People ask, 'How do actresses do it?' Um, they pay us to do this in order to look good on film."

We could all take a page out of Sandra's playbook and work to keep our fitness routine fresh even if we don't have to wear pencil skirts on the silver screen.

Fitness Switchup: Kickboxing Instead of Swimming

FitSugar — Fri, 08 May 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Swimming is wonderfully meditative, quiet, and peaceful, but creating your own fitness motivation when cranking out the laps can be difficult.

If you find your love of the pool receding, it is time for a fitness switchup. I suggest you try a rocking group class like kickboxing. Your upper body will still take a beating (bad pun, I know), but you will be working your shoulders in a wider variety of motions, which is great for injury prevention. Jumping around on land is great for your bones since it's weight bearing, unlike swimming. Plus, being in a group class can buoy your waning motivation. The loud music and fun moves of kickboxing are certainly different, but are still complementary to your time in the pool.

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Lauren Conrad Hates Sit Ups, but Loves Kickboxing

FitSugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 06:00:00 -0700

After compiling over 20 million of your votes, the second annual PopSugar 100 is finally here! To help celebrate tomorrow's announcement of the PopSugar 100, and her debut on the list, we're bringing you this exclusive interview with Lauren Conrad!

It's been a huge year for LC; between her friendships, fashion line, and hit TV show, this starlet is bigger and better than ever. We had a chance to catch up with her and talk about love, happiness, food, fitness and just about everything else. Check out our interview across the network and be sure to be back tomorrow to see where she lands and see the rest of the list!

We already know that LC is into healthy living, but thanks to this interview we learned her true feelings for both sit ups and push ups.

PopSugar: Pick a favorite: sit ups or push ups?
LC: I hate them both! But probably sit-ups.

PopSugar: So we see you going to the gym a lot . . .
LC: Yeah I started again, it's really hurting me!

PopSugar: What is your routine at the gym?
LC: I just started doing more kickboxing which is really fun, and the way [my trainer] does it it's like a full body workout. Like squat, lunge, squat, lunge, or lower punches. It’s really like a full body workout, but I do a half hour of kickboxing and then he has me just do weights. We also do running most days and Chloe (LC's pooch) likes it.

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Get Physical: Kickbox With Your Honey

FitSugar — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 03:30:00 -0800

One of my favorite ways to burn off some serious calories with my hubby is by kickboxing and it looks like Tori Spelling and husband Dean McDermott feel the same way. (Sidenote: Didn't she just have a baby? She looks amazing!)

Kickboxing is part boxing, part martial arts and part aerobics all in one. Not only is it a blast, but it also uses the muscles of the upper body, lower body, and core, which means you're working a lot of muscles in a little time. It's a great exercise to do with someone else because you can practice your jabs, cross-punches and roundhouses with (and on) someone else. What's more? A 150 pound woman can burn 700 calories per hour with a vigorous session of kickboxing. So do it just the two of you, rent a DVD, or sign up for a class. It happens to be one of the only classes I can get my husband to join me in - apparently the words "kick" and "boxing" add enough masculinity to cancel out the far less masculine words "group class." I love Tori's pink boxing gloves, too. I may have to upgrade from my mini pink glove on my key chain.

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Class Act: Turbo Kick

FitSugar — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 11:45:00 -0700

Looking for a new class to add to your workout routine? How about Turbo Kick?

Turbo Kick is a new high energy class that mixes aerobics with martial arts with hip-hop. This class is interval based and is good for participants of any fitness level. Expect lots of upper cuts, jabs, jumps, along with kicks and more importantly lots of sweat. I like this class because it is more fun than your average martial arts class, which can tend to be more serious. If you walk into the class with stress and/or aggression riding on your shoulders, you'll walk out feeling a lot less stressed. Heck, you may even walk out of the class feeling like Hillary Swank circa Million Dollar Baby. What's more? You can burn 6.45 - 8.3 calories per minute during one class. To find a Turbo Kick class near you, check out their turbokick.com

Move It at Home: Kung Fu Kickboxing

FitSugar — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 15:45:00 -0700

Interested in practicing your bob and weave while floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee? This Kung Fu Kickboxing exercise DVD from Acacia will help give you the eye of the tiger. The workout lead by Tiffany and Max Chen, both champion fighters, is shot on location in a boxing ring, which adds a great touch of authenticity.

Although the stretching and warm up sections are both a little too brief for my taste, this workout is seriously fun and has the potential to make you seriously sweaty. The instruction is fairly sparse, so this is not a great way to learn the basics of kickboxing. It is, however, a great way to get your heart rate up in the privacy of your own home.

The workout is divided into 3, twenty-ish minute sections, with each section increasing in level of difficulty. The workout breaks down like this:

Workout 1: The Basics -- Four sets of three-minute rounds containing two to three 30-second combat-oriented exercises
Workout 2: The Kicker -- A series of 30-second standing and floor calisthenics, 4 rounds of 4 exercises each done for 30 seconds
Workout 3: The Killer -- Repetitive cycles of challenging, explosive movements done in 4 rounds of 4 exercises, also done in descending numbers of reps starting with 10 ending in 1 (and you will be glad it is just one rep by the end!)

Since the workout is broken into sections you can customize your plan of attack and squeeze in 20 minutes, if that's all you have time for. Through the voice over, Tiffany encourages you to work at your own pace, but you find yourself compelled to throw your punches as quickly as the Chens. Although Max is barefoot for the workout, I encourage you to wear shoes like Tiffany since the repetitive jumping moves feel fairly high impact on the knees, hips and ankles.

Buy it for $14.99 directly from Acacia. Or try it before you buy and put it on your Netflix queue.

CLASS Act: Cardio Kickboxing

FitSugar — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 02:30:00 -0800

This total body work out totally whips your butt. While listening to kick-ass dance music, you increase your stamina, coordination, balance, flexibility, and strength.

Cardio kickboxing takes from Martial Arts, boxing, and aerobics - but don't worry. It doesn't involve contact with an opponent. It's all you, baby.

Here's what to expect from a class:

You start off with 10-15 minutes of warm-up stretching, jump roping or push-ups. That's followed by a 30 minute kickboxing session complete with your fill of kicks, jabs, punches, ducks and knee strikes. Then you cool down and finish with stretching, which is super important to prevent injury.

The average class burns an astounding 400 calories. Plus, you'll learn self-defense moves to make you feel confident and empowered.

Fit's Tips: When looking for a class at your local gym, find an instructor who knows what they're doing - make sure they have a high-level belt in martial arts and are certified as a fitness instructor.

The Lowdown on Exercising High

FitSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Recently FitSugar reader mamasitamalita wrote in to ask about her friend who works out while buzzed. Apparently it's more common than I thought, and it's not the only thing people are doing before hitting the gym. An anonymous reader commented

"Sometimes, every once in a while, I will get stoned before yoga or a long run - it helps me to calm down and focus on the task at hand, rather than obsessing about work or personal stresses."

So this brings up another issue. What about working out while high? Although illegal, people still smoke pot, so to find out if it's safe to light up before burning calories keep reading

Class Act: Turbo Kick

FitSugar — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 03:00:00 -0700

If you are trying to fit some punching into your workout, but don't want to miss out on dancing, then TurboKick might be just what you are looking for. The 60 minute classes combine the agility and rigor of both hip hop and Muay Thai Boxing – love the super multi-cultural mix.

The class begins and ends with a tai chi like warm up, with some ab work (crunches with choreographed punches) added at the end. Classes are made of "rounds," which are sections of classic boxing moves, from upper cuts to roundhouse kicks, with dance steps. The rounds are choreographed to the music, and the sequences build in 8 count sections with many repetitions. So you get a workout with all those reps as you also become familiar with the moves. You do not need to be a dancer or familiar with dance moves to enjoy the class and get your heart rate up. And it is fun! I really appreciated that my upper back and arms felt totally worked without having to do a single push up or lift a dumbbell; there is serious power to a punch. Beware, this class could make you really excited putting on some gloves and punching a bag!

Looking for a class near you? Then read more.

I found this class at my local YMCA. You can find a class with this thorough class finder.

Fit's Tips: Remember when punching that your entire body should be involved. You should pivot on the ball of your foot so your pelvis will move with your punch. If you just punch from your arms, your low back will bear the brunt of the movement. So twist with your punch and put your body into it.

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