FitSugar

Back to Basics: Tricep Dips

FitSugar — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 11:45:00 -0800

Toning your triceps - the muscles that run on the backside of your upper arm from your shoulder to your elbow - is one way to really help prep your arms for tank tops. Tricep Dips are a great, basic exercise for working your triceps. What's more? They're pretty easy to do and don't require much equipment.

Here's how you do them:

Position your hands shoulder width apart on a secured bench or stable chair.
Move your booty in front of the bench with your legs bent and feet placed about hip width apart on the floor.
Straighten out your arms and keep a little bend in your elbows in order to always keep tension on your triceps and off your elbow joints.
Now slowly bend at your elbows and lower your upper body down towards the floor until your arms are at about a 90 degree angle. Be sure to keep your back close to the bench.
Once you reach the bottom of the movement, slowly press off with your hands, and push yourself straight back up to the starting position.

Fit's Tip: Don't allow your neck to sink and your ears to fall close to your shoulders. Also, straighten your legs as you get stronger, this will make the exercise harder.

Triceps Dips vs. Lunges

FitSugar — Fri, 22 May 2009 08:00:00 -0700

We all have exercises we love and exercises we work hard to avoid. I have heard complaints about both triceps and lunges. These two exercises are workout staples for me. Each exercise has so many variations and you can make them both walk.

Actually crab walks and walking lunges sound like a great pair of full body exercises, and I think I will do them at my next workout. So obviously, I love them both. In the battle for your heart, which exercise do you love more?

Lifting Tip: Start at the Bottom and Work Your Way Up

FitSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:00:10 -0700

When strength training, there are so many exercises, and so many muscles to work, how do you know where to begin? Start from the bottom of your body and work your way up.

Since your legs are your largest muscle group, these moves require more work than exercises that target your upper body. Take advantage of your high energy at the beginning of your workout and tackle exercises like squats, lunges, and leg lifts that tone your quads, hamstrings, and glutes. The next part of the body to work is your core, doing moves like crunches, planks, and Superman Lifts. Then you're ready to work your arms and upper back with moves like push-ups, tricep dips, and upright rows. Following this order ensures that you won't miss working any part of your body, and you'll have the stamina to get through everything.

Skip It: Triceps Kickback

FitSugar — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:30:00 -0700

Sometimes referred to as "bingo arms," the back of the upper arm can be toned and tightened by working the triceps. Unfortunately, most of us chose to do kickbacks to work the muscle group, and this might not be the most effective way to work your triceps. The body position required for the exercise - leaned over with elbow pinned to your side - not only makes it hard to overload the muscle to really work it, but you are only really working the muscle for the last quarter of the motion. Plus, you're just working one muscle when you could be saving time by challenging multiple muscles at once while working the triceps more effectively. See some alternative exercises, when you read more.

Triceps dips: This move is simple and as a full body exercise you will be working more than just one muscle. If you do this exercise on the floor, try alternating it with crab walks, by staying in table top position and walking 10 steps forward and then ten backward.
Push-ups: When you place your hands directly under your shoulders and keep your elbows in, you will effectively work your tris.
Triceps Presses: This exercise is not a full body exercise, but because of the arm position you work your triceps as you press the weights up, as well as when you lower them back to starting position due to your relationship to gravity. To make this exercise a full body move, make a tabletop position with your head and upper back on a physio ball.

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Back to Basics: Supersets

FitSugar — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 05:30:00 -0800

Gym jargon is often tossed about like a lightweight medicine ball, and if you don't know the lingo you can end up not only feeling lost but skimping on your workout. One term likely to be skipped over is "superset." It sounds intimidating and therefore not at all super, but supersets are a great way to move beyond a strength training plateau. Essentially, a superset is two exercises performed one right after the other, rather than simply resting between sets. You can work opposing muscle groups or challenge your muscular strength and endurance by working the same muscle group with different exercises. Reducing rest time increases the cardio component of strength training and keeps the calorie burn going. Plus, supersets save time, and less time in the weight room means more time for a post-workout sauna.

For a few examples of supersets read more:

Supersets for opposing muscle groups:

Bicep curls followed by triceps kickback create an upper arm combination.
Alternate a back extension exercise, like superman, with ab work, like bicycle crunches, to work the front and back of your body.
To work the chest and back, mix a set of push-ups with seated rows with a cable or a resistance band.
Tone the thighs by starting with the leg press machine to work quads, then move to the hamstring curl machine to work your hamstrings and glutes.

Supersets for the same muscle group:

To work the quads one leg at a time, combine single leg squats and step ups.
Combining side lunges with side step downs will work both the outer and inner thighs.
For the hamstrings, pair donkey kicks with reverse lunges - working in two completely different configurations changes your relationship with gravity and challenges your muscles in different ways.
Target the back of your arms with triceps dips followed by triceps presses on your back.

You should repeat each superset two to three times, resting for a minute between supersets, which is much more efficient than resting between each individual set. If you have a strength training superset combo that you love, share it in the comments section below.

Source

Fittingly Green: Work Out Outside For Earth Day

FitSugar — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Today is Earth Day, so celebrate with an outdoor workout. Yes you can run and walk outside, but you can also strength train while doing so. All you need is an empty park bench and a curb to strength train your entire body while on the move in the outdoors.

Here are some ideas:

Take your basic step up and do it on a park bench. You will work your legs while keeping your heart rate up.
Use the same park bench for push-ups. Put your hands on the back of the bench, walk your feet out until you're in a plank position, and begin doing push-ups. For more of a challenge, put your hands on the seat of the bench. To mix it up, place one hand on the arm of the bench and the other on the seat. Make sure to repeat the same number of reps after switching your hand configuration to the other side.
Curb your calf raises. Stand with balls of feet on a curb/step, heels hanging off, and raise both heels for 10 reps. For an extra challenge, try single-leg calf raises.

Do I have more ideas? You betcha! See them when you read more.

Single-leg squats on the bench will challenge your balance while toning your tush. Stand sideways on the bench with your right side toward the back of the bench and your left leg dangling off the seat. Bend your right leg into a squat position as your left leg moves lower than the bench seat. Do 10 on each leg.
Take your lunges for a walk in the great outdoors. Find an open space in the park, or a quiet stretch of sidewalk, and add some lunges into your run or walk.
Use the seat of a bench to tone the back of your arms with some triceps dips.

Don't forget to try the monkey bars next time you jog past a playground, too.

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Get the Bod: Valerie Bertinelli's 48-Year-Old Bikini Body

FitSugar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 06:00:00 -0700

Valerie Bertinelli is on the cover of this week's People magazine, showing off her lean body in a bikini for the first time since she was 20 years old, just in time for her 48th birthday! Two years ago she was a larger version of herself, at 172 pounds, which she felt was more than 40 pounds over her ideal weight for a person who's 5'4".

So how did she lose the weight and get bikini-ready? To find out read more.

Valerie used the Jenny Craig plan and became a spokesperson for the diet as well. In nine months she was down to 132 pounds. She exercised on her own, primarily walking 10,000 steps a day. After keeping the weight off for more than a year, she decided to kick it up a notch and hired a personal trainer in December, with her goal of feeling gorgeous and confident in a bikini.

Her 60-minute bikini workout was completed four or five times a week. It included running on the treadmill 30 to 45 minutes, but sometimes she switched back and forth between five minute intervals of running and strength training. To get strong and defined muscles, Valerie used a resistance band in combination with dumbbells. She alternated between up to 25 triceps dips, 20 push-ups, up to 30 squats, step-ups, and over 100 sit-ups total. The last three weeks before her bikini shoot, she lowered her daily caloric intake from 1,700 calories to 1,200, and also gave up a treat - champagne. Now Valerie is in the best shape of her life and said "I never, ever, ever had deltoids! Oh my God, when I'm doing exercises and I see them pop out, I'm like, Yes!" She's a huge inspiration for those of us who may be afraid to sport our bikinis.

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Try the "Awesome Dawesome" Workout

FitSugar — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:30:00 -0700

Three-time Olympian Dominique Dawes may be in retirement, but that doesn't mean she's stopped working out.

Sticking to the common strength training principal in gymnastics, the "Awesome Dawesome" still steers clears of weights. She challenges her strength with her own body weight. Using both basic and fancy calisthenic moves, she works her entire body with each exercise. If you're interested in borrowing a few moves from Dominique, read more.

Here are the basic elements of her workout:

Jumping Rope is simple, inexpensive, and effective. It burns tons of calories and all the jumping will strengthen your bones.
Tricep Dips using a chair will force your core to work, making them more effective than a simple triceps kickback that only works the triceps.
Mountain Climbers are a whole body exercise that are guaranteed to increase your heart rate, too.
Squat Jumps are great for toning your legs and backside. Adding the jump to this strength training staple forces your core to become more involved, too.
Pistol Squats are not as ballistic as the jump squat, but require much more finesse. Here's how to perform one: Begin by doing a single leg squat all the way to the ground. When your bottom hits the floor, roll onto your back bringing your legs into the air. Then roll back up to standing, still just standing on one leg. (I am tired just writing about that one.)

I suggest channeling the Olympic spirit and trying out these moves during your next workout.

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Burn Some Calories During the Oscars

FitSugar — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 04:30:00 -0800

Plopping myself in front of the TV for hours isn't something I do regularly, but I'm making an exception for the Oscars on Sunday. I love watching the glitz and glam and always hope for teary, heartfelt acceptance speeches from the winners. This year, I'm mixing up my sitting and munching routine with a fun, calorie-burning game.

The "Oscar-Winning Workout" was created by Bethany Lyons of Crunch in NYC and published in the February issue of Fitness magazine. Use the suggestions as guidelines and get creative with your own rules for the game.

Do fast feet every time someone thanks his or her mom: "Run in place, moving feet quickly, for 10 seconds. Then jog in place with knees high for 10 seconds. Repeat series three times."
Do tricep dips every time the camera cuts to a celebrity who's not amused by the host's joke: "Sit on the edge of a chair with hands beside hips, with legs slightly extended and feet together on floor; slide butt off seat. Bend elbows, lowering butt toward floor; straighten arms. Do 10 reps."
Do high plank every time the orchestra cuts off a verbose speaker: "Get into push-up position and hold for one minute."

See two of my ideas when you read more.

Do 10 squat jumps every time a reporter asks "Who are you wearing tonight?" during the red carpet segment.
Do 20 bicycle crunches every time the camera flashes to Oscar-nominated sweethearts Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

What are your ideas?

Source

Print It: Starter Arms to Take to the Gym

FitSugar — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0800

Strength training is so important, plus doing this Starter Arms series will get your arms toned for spring time. Watch the video first then you can print out this printer friendly version to take with you to the gym.

All exercises have 10 reps. Each arm area is targeted 3 times. Feel free to repeat the sequence once or twice for a total of two or three rounds.

I recommend weights between 5 and 10 pounds for this series.

Exercise

Move 1

Move 2

Bicep Curls
Do's and Don'ts:

Move smoothly in both directions
Exhale as you bend your elbows, and engage your abs
Don't rock back onto your heels when you lift

Tricep Kick Backs
Do's and Don'ts:

Stand with your same leg back as arm that is working
Don't snap your elbow straight, keep the motion smooth
Pull your abs toward your belly button
Pause at the top of the motion to really work the triceps

There's a lot more exercises, so read more

Bent Over Rows Do's and Don'ts: Bend forward at your hips - do not round your low back Feel your shoulder blades squeeze together at the top of the motion By now you know I am going to say - engage your abs, so do it, already
Zipper Do's and Don'ts: Pull your abs up and in as you lift your arms - zipper your abs while you zipper your arms Don't raise your shoulders as you lift your arms Exhale as your raise your arms
Pulling the Bag Do's and Don'ts: This exercise is like pulling a bag of groceries into your chest - so this is a functional exercise for the biceps Exhale as you pull your arms into your chest Don't lean forward to meet the weight, pull it into your chest
Overhead Tricep Do's and Don'ts: Drop your chin down a little so you don't whack yourself in the head Your elbows will not get all the way to straight Exhale as you straighten your elbows
Arm Raises Do's and Don'ts: Exhale as you lift your arms up Don't raise your shoulders as you lift your arms Only raise your arms to shoulder height Make sure not to lean back as you lift your arms
Push Ups Do's and Don'ts: Exhale as you push the ground away to straighten your arms Use your core to support you - this way your shoulders will not get strained Really spread your fingers out wide and keep pressure in your finger tips - this keeps pressure out of your wrists Try these on your toes or your knees
Tricep Dips Do's and Don'ts: Finger tips point towards your pelvis Don't jam your elbows straight Make sure you are really bending and straightening your elbows, not just pumping your pelvis up and down