FitSugar

Multitasking Move: Walking Squats With Bicep Curls and Overhead Press

FitSugar — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -0700

If toning your tush and thighs is on your mind, then you've got to get busy doing squats. They target your lower body like no other move, and just after a few repetitions you'll start feeling the burn. Here's a variation on the basic squat. It's similar to the side squat using a Theraband, but it uses dumbbells to add more resistance, and movement to make it more challenging.

Music: "East Meets West" by Althea W.

To give it a try, read more.

Hold a set of dumbbells in each hand. Start with your feet together with your arms by your sides, palms facing away from you.
As you take a small step to the right and squat down, do a slow and controlled bicep curl. Your feet should be hip distance apart, with your weight in your heels and your quads parallel with each other. Remain in the squat as you do an overhead press. Stay in the squat as you lower your arms down; your elbows are at your sides and your palms are facing you and pressed against your biceps. Then as your step your left foot to meet your right, straighten your arms, finishing the bicep curl.
Repeat this for a total of five steps to the right, then do five steps to the left. This counts as one set. Complete three sets.

ExerciseTV: Squat With Side Bend and Overhead Press

FitSugar — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 12:05:01 -0800

In a time crunch, you need to find exercises that work many body parts with one exercise. That is why I am loving this variation on squats I found over at ExerciseTV. It incorporates side bending as well as an overhead press into your basic squat. This means you are not only working your hamstring, quads and glutes (aka your legs and bum), but your obliques (side of your torso) and shoulders as well. Talk about a three for one bonus deal!

The folks at ExerciseTV are so generous for sharing their videos; they even sponsored this post. So grab some hand weights, any style will do. I would start with five pound weights and work up to using eight and then ten pound weights.

You should definitely check out the extensive video library at ExerciseTV. There is no reason to ever be bored with your workout again!

Back to Basics: Overhead Press

FitSugar — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 04:00:00 -0800

Putting all the fancy machines and accessories aside, sometimes you just want to get in a good workout without having to decipher how to use the gadgets. The overhead press is a great way to work your deltoids, biceps and triceps using a set of dumbbells. Pick a dumbbell weight that tires your muscles by about 12 lifts, a good weight to start with is five pounds.

Here's how:

Stand with your legs hip-width apart, knees soft. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and raise arms so that your biceps are parallel to the ground, arms at 90 angles, palms facing forward.
Exhale as you slowly straighten arms until they are extended as you press your hands straight-up toward the ceiling.
Inhale as you return your arms back to the starting position (biceps parallel to the group and at 90 degree angles).
Repeat 12 times. Do three sets.

Fit's Tip: You can also do overhead presses while sitting on a bench. Or to challenge yourself a little more do them while sitting on an exercise ball.

Source

Multitasking Move: Narrow Squat With Overhead Press

FitSugar — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 08:00:00 -0800

No exercise beats squats for toning up your lower half. It is easy to create many variations and turn this versatile move into a multitasking one. Changing the leg position of your squat is a great way to mix up your routine. Narrowing your stance works your inner thighs more as well as challenges your balance. Adding an overhead press to your squat makes this a full body exercise. This is also a great exercise for prepping your legs for downhill skiing.

Details on how to perform this squat variation when you read more

Begin standing with your legs together, arms raised to shoulder height with elbows bent, holding weights by your ears.
Squat toward the floor by bending your knees and reaching your bum back, as if you were sitting in a chair. Keep your legs squeezing together. Focus your weight into your heels. While squatting, raise your arms overhead into a parallel position.
Return to starting positions by pressing through your heels while bending your elbows to lower the weights back to shoulder level.
Repeat ten times, for two to three sets.

I like to use five to eight pound dumbbells for this exercise, but you should use whatever weight feels appropriate for you. Don't have a set of dumbbells? You can use full water bottles or soup cans to provide some extra weight.

Lunge Combo: Side Lunge to Curtsy

FitSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:50:17 -0700

When I write that Hannah, my trainer at Equinox, is kicking my behind, I mean that she's really working my glutes. No joke. Here is a move she taught me recently; it's highly effective for toning the backside. The side lunge works the muscle on the side of the pelvis, that I affectionately call the glute med, as well as the inner thighs. The curtsy move really works your glute max and the smaller booty muscles that help lift the seat.

For instructions on this lunging combination, read more.

Holding a five- to 10-pound weight in your left hand, side lunge to the right bringing your left hand to your right foot. Lower your booty as much as possible. Keep your toes pointed forward and your right knee bent to no more than 90 degrees.
Push off gently with your right foot and come into a curtsy position with your right leg crossing behind your left as you press your weight overhead. Keep your hips square and your curtsy tight. Both feet should be pointed forward. This completes one rep.
Repeat by stepping immediately into a side lunge from the curtsy.
Once you have completed 15 reps, switch sides. Do three sets total.

If lunges are new to you, don't add dumbbells to this exercise until you are comfortable with the leg positions. Remember to keep your abs engaged to stabilize your torso throughout this exercise.

Assess Your Ab Work

FitSugar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:47:59 -0700

Countless crunches and multiple sets of Russian twists might tone your abs, but they're not so great for your back. Not only that, but they aren't functional movement, meaning the strength gained in these exercises won't really help you outside the gym. Repeatedly rounding the spine in a crunch or full sit-up sets the stage for a disk injury. Repeatedly twisting, especially if your abs are weak, also puts stress on the spine.

The safest and most effective way to work your abs is to use them to stabilize your torso against motions. The elbow plank is the perfect beginner ab exercise, since it works the extensor muscles, which line and stabilize the spine, in combination with the abs. Adding leg lifts to your plank, while keeping the pelvis and ribs stable, will take the plank to the next level. Working with free weights, moving from a squat into an overhead press, will work your abs too. Work one-armed to force your obliques to kick into action.

Strike a Yoga Pose: Compass

FitSugar — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:00:00 -0700

All you runners and bikers out there, I know you're always in need of a good hamstring stretch. Here's one that allows you to concentrate on one leg at a time, and will also open your hips and shoulders.

Sanskrit Name: Parivrtta Surya Yantrasana
English Translation: Revolved Compass Pose
Also Called: Compass

To learn how to do this pose read more.

Sit at the top of your mat with your legs straight in front of you. Bend your right knee and hold onto it with your left hand. Press your knee back behind you as far as you can and place your right hand underneath your right leg, planting your palm firmly on the right corner of your mat.
From here, straighten your right leg as much as you can by taking your right arm overhead, and straighten that as well. Turn your head to the left and gaze toward the ceiling. Work on straightening your spine and leaning back slightly to increase the stretch in your right hamstring and left side of the body.
Hold for five breaths, then bend your right leg and arm and release your right leg back to the floor. Then repeat this pose with the left leg.

Whether you're new to yoga or have been practicing for a while, check out FitSugar's Yoga Stretch and Tell Group. It's a place where you can get info about the latest yoga clothes and gear, post questions, and share your yoga moments like being able to hold Crow pose for the first time!

Learn to Love: Lunges

FitSugar — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Lunges are one of those exercises people either love or hate. There is however one powerful reason to love them: they sculpt a lovely tush. They also make your legs incredibly strong, which is a bonus as well.

Considered a compound exercise, lunges work your glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves, just like ever popular squats. Lunges, though, require more finesse, since you move through the motion - stepping forward, back, or to the side to lunge. This movement makes your core work more than in a squat, since you need it to maintain your balance as you move through space, especially if you are holding a weight over your head. The push-off motion, to move out of the lunge, and back to standing position translate into function fitness for running, as well as cutting on a basketball court or lunging to make a shot on the tennis court. The lunge has many variations. I like taking my lunges for a walk to help my running. Backward lunges really work my booty, and side lunges work the inner and outer thighs. You can hold dumbbells while you lunge, and you can also add bicep curls and overhead presses too. Holding a weight in one hand and lunging is also a nice challenge to your balance. Or you can always add a resistance band to your lunges as well.

Tell me below if you love or hate lunges.

Stretch It: Standing Side Stretch

FitSugar — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:00:00 -0700

I love a good hamstring or hip stretch, but for some reason, stretching my sides feels so amazing. That's probably because I rarely stretch this area, so here's an easy way to target the sides of your torso.

For more detailed instructions read more.

Stand with your feet hip distance apart, and your arms by your sides.
Bend your right knee slightly and raise your left arm overhead. Slowly slide your right hand down your right thigh toward your knee. Put weight into your right hand as you lean your torso to the right. Press your left hip out to the side and reach up with your left arm to increase the stretch in the left side of your torso. Try opening the space between your left ribs with a couple of deep inhales.
Stay here for 30 seconds and then do this stretch on the right side.

Source

DVD Review: Jari Love's Get Extremely Ripped

FitSugar — Fri, 08 May 2009 03:30:00 -0700

Drawn to the title Get Extremely Ripped, I must admit I was excited to try this DVD with this text gracing the bottom cover: "Scientifically proven to burn fat 3x faster." I am a fitness geek, what can I say. This hour-long DVD is full of classic strength-training moves - lots of squats, lunges, overhead presses, and biceps curls. The moves are done fairly quickly and each section combines a lower body sequence with upper body moves. You are often working more than one joint at time, and this helps keep your heart rate up. Get Extremely Ripped contains two 30-minute workouts that can be done separately or combined for an hour workout, which is what I did. I followed up my workout with the eight-minute ab section, which combines crunches and planks with push-ups.

To see what I thought of the DVD and to see a clip, just read more.
I felt extremely worked by the end of the video, and did more reps than I would do on my own, which I consider a plus. Jari cues the workout well and offers helpful pointers. She does, however, make really odd small talk with the folks demonstrating the moves. The music is very mellow techno with a steady beat, but it lacks inspiration. The hour-long version of the workout is a little repetitive, but the 30-minute version would give you a solid full-body workout. The warmup is brief but gets your heart rate going, yet the stretching at the end is too short. If you do this workout, you should continue stretching while credits roll. I will do this workout again with the TV volume down listening to my own tunes. I burned 371 calories in an hour and eight minutes, and I know I will sleep tight tonight having tired out just about every muscle in my body.

If you have worked out with a DVD by Jari Love, tell me what you thought of it in the comments section below.