FitSugar

Beyond the Basics: 5 Lunge Variations

FitSugar — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 05:50:41 PDT

I have a thing for lunges, and for good reason. Lunges help bring the booty, sculpt powerful legs, and create better overall balance. But if you tweak the move a bit, you'll see even bigger rewards. Here are five variations of the classic lunge to get you started - your arms, tush, thighs, and legs are going to love you!

Back to Basics: Walking Forward Lunge

FitSugar — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 09:30:00 PDT

Skin is in this spring, so before you sport your cute shorts, do a few of these leg toning walking forward lunges.

Here's how to do it:

Stand upright, feet together, holding two light (5-8 pound) dumbbells at your sides (palms facing in).
Take a controlled step forward with your left leg.
Lower hips toward the floor and bend both knees (almost at 90 degree angles). The back knee should come close but never touch the ground. Your front knee should be directly over the ankle and the back knee should be pointing down toward the floor.
Push off the with your right foot and bring it forward to starting position (#1). This completes one rep.
Next step forward and repeat with the right leg.
Do 2 sets of 15 reps.

Muscles worked: Glutes, hamstrings and quads.

Fit's Tip: If it is too hard to do with light weights, instead of holding dumbbells, you can place your hands on your waist instead.

Gym 101: Strength-Training Warmup

Susi May — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:12:55 PST

A solid warmup sets you up for a solid workout. When it comes to prepping for strength training, an active warmup primes the joints and muscles, prepping them for the heavy lifting. Lauren, my Equinox trainer, introduced me to these moves, and after a little light cardio - for me, it's five minutes running on a treadmill at a 6 mph pace, but the elliptical or a little jump rope would work - Lauren has me do three out of these five moves. Mix and match the exercises however you please, or do them all for a very thorough warmup.

Rocking Lunge
Give an active stretch to both your hips and hamstrings with the rocking lunge. Start in a deep lunge with your right leg forward; you can even bring your left knee to the floor. Straighten your right knee to rock your weight back and onto your left foot to lengthen the hamstring. Flex your right toes as you rock into the hamstring stretch. Return back to your deep lunge and repeat for a total of 10 times on each side.

Toy Soldier
A walking kick, the toy soldier stretches out the back of the leg, both hamstrings and calves. Step forward on your right foot, and kick your left leg forward, bringing your left toes toward your right hand. Step onto your left foot and kick the right leg, bringing right foot toward left hand. Take 20 steps total.

Keep reading for three more moves.

How Celeb Trainer Gunnar Peterson Keeps Sofia Looking Hot

Leta Shy — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:49:57 PST

Modern Family star Sofia Vergara is known both on and off the red carpet for her enviable figure, and award season is definitely a time when the actress can shine. Between her glamorous gowns and camera-ready makeup, Sofia always looks the part. But the self-described gym hater also works hard to keep fit. We spoke to her trainer Gunnar Peterson (whose clients have also included Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, and Angelina Jolie), to learn more about how Sofia gets award-season ready. Read his tips below.

Make it fun: How does Gunnar keep his celebrity clients sticking to their routine? "I try to keep it fun. I try and put a little bit of levity in it, but at the same time, I don’t sacrifice the work. We may goof around and stuff, but we’re definitely going to goof around while we’re working." A boring workout is one you won't want to stick to, so read our tips on how to keep a workout fun.

Whole-body workout: Gunnar doesn't like to waste time with isolated moves. Burn more calories and work more of your body at the same time instead. "I don’t do that many isolation movements, like single joint stuff," Gunnar says. "I do bigger movements. If we’re going to do a lunge, we’re probably going to add an upper body component to it, like a lunge with a wood chop, a side lunge with a wood chop, or a rear lunge with a lateral raise, or a forward lunge with a front raise." Try it yourself: incorporate this medicine ball wood chop the next time you do lunges, and check out Gunnar's cutting-edge double-duty gym equipment here.

Read on for more tips from celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson.

Strength Training No-Nos: What Not to Do When in Squats

Susi May — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:02:53 PST

No matter your fitness passion, from snowboarding to CrossFit, you likely do squats in your sweat sessions - they're a fitness staple. Sometimes, the more simple the move, the more careless we become when doing it, and before you know it you have sloppy squats. Here are four common mistakes that plague the standard squat. Next time you head to the gym, take a little time to get back to basics and run through this list. Not only will these corrections make the exercise more effective, but they prevent injuries too.

Mistake: Weight Too Far Forward
To take care of your knees and really engage your glutes, keep your weight in your heels. You should be able to freely wiggle your toes as you sit back into your squat. Weighting your heels also keeps the knees from moving beyond your toes, which can seriously strain that joint.
The Fix:
Practice squatting with a stable chair or weight bench behind you, and aim to lower your booty onto the front third of the seat - quietly and with control, no plopping down. This will help you shift your weight far enough back to truly challenge your glutes.

Mistake: Leaning Forward
When squatting, you want to keep your torso fairly upright, but tight hips can pull the upper body forward, straining the knees and the low back. Leaning forward also interferes with your ability to go deep in the squat, decreasing the amount of work for your backside.
The Fix:
Before a strength training session, do a dynamic warmup to open the front of the hips. Walking lunges work well as an active stretch for the tight hip flexors. To keep your torso upright, use an exercise ball at the wall for your squats and single leg squats too. Here are details on how to set yourself up for ball squats at the wall - just make sure you're going deep enough into the squat so your thighs are parallel to the ground.

Keep on reading for more about squats after the break.

How to Run a Faster 5K

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:23:54 PST

You've been running regularly for some time and have completed a few 5K fun runs. But now it's time to step it up and take this distance seriously. Here are some tips to help you beat your personal record when running 3.1 miles.

During Training

Add speedwork: If you want to run a faster 5K, you have to practice running faster. Coach Andrew Kastor recommends adding 80-meter sprints into your training schedule, and here's his plan for running a faster 5K in four weeks. Remember: sprinting can be hard on the body, so make sure to start off with shorter sprints and build up to the full 80 meters, especially if you're new to speed work.
Add short uphills: Hills require strength and endurance, so if you practice them during your training, you'll develop speed and muscle power, and just as with plyometrics (jump exercises), hill sprints will increase flexibility in your muscles and tendons, which reduces your risk of injury. In your training, tackle shorter steep hills (about six to 10 percent incline). Sprint up for 10 seconds, then walk downhill backwards to avoid pressure on the knees. Repeat, eventually building up to eight 10-second sprints. It's a surefire way to stronger, faster legs.
Incorporate strength training moves that target your shins, calves, quads, glutes, and core: Running alone won't increase your speed. You need to strengthen the muscles that make you move so your actions will be more powerful and more efficient. Incorporate variations of squats, lunges, step-ups, calf raises, bent over rows, and these three booty moves from celebrity trainer David Kirsch.
Become familiar with the route: Obtain a map of the 5K course, and if the route is open (like in a neighborhood or wooded trail), practice running it to familiarize yourself with the hills, curves, and mile markers. Knowing the course in advance will give you confidence and an added advantage over runners who are running it for the first time.

Keep reading to find out what to do on race day to run a faster 5K.

Work Out With Lady Gaga

Self — Wed, 25 May 2011 05:03:00 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Lady Gaga has finally dropped her latest masterpiece, and Born This Way was born to inspire our workouts. The '80s-inspired opus is full of gym-ready grooves, from Eurodisco to Latin rhythms. Let's get moving!

Gaga training sessions with Harley Pasternak consist of a 25-minute routine combining strength and cardio. The trainer has attributed her killer abs to an intense regimen of crunches, but we know the pop star is a fan of core-chiseling yoga as well. With her new album freshly loaded on our iPods (the fourteen songs clock in at exactly one hour), we took her daily drill to the next level.

First, we hand-picked eight tracks (35 minutes) to keep our feet pounding the treadmill - raising your heart rate for at least a half hour will melt fat so your toned muscles emerge. Warm up with the easy-paced "Electric Chapel." Lady Gaga's monster singles - "Hair," the Madonna-esque "Born This Way," club-thumping "Judas" and Bruce Springsteen-inspired epic "Edge of Glory"- all made our list. Then we added the Debbie-Gibson-meets-Donna-Summers jam "Marry The Night," the empowering, rave-worthy "Scheibe" and "Highway Unicorn (Road To Love)," with its "run, run" lyrics.

Read on for the rest of this energizing hour-long workout after the break!

Preventative Exercises Every New Runner Should Learn

FitSugar — Thu, 05 May 2011 01:55:05 PDT

If you've got a spring in your step because of the nice weather, you may want to enjoy the fresh air by starting a new running hobby. But being a runner isn't just about lacing up fancy new kicks and hitting the pavement. By incorporating a few exercises into your workout routine, you can help prevent some injuries that are common in the running world. Here are a few of them to start doing now.

Strengthen those quads. Running is a great way to work out your hamstrings, so working on your quads is key to keeping your leg muscles balanced and for preventing injuries like runner's knee. To strengthen your quads, try adding squats to your routine.
Stretch your IT band. If you've talked to regular runners, chances are you've heard them complain about IT band injuries or knee pain. Be proactive about these injuries by making sure you stretch out your IT band regularly, even if you aren't feeling any pain. Use a foam roller on the outside of your quads or do this standing exercise after a run to ensure you keep your IT band loose.
Move laterally. Counteract all that forward-moving motion you're doing with exercises that get you moving side to side. Exercises like side lunges and side planks help strengthen stabilizing muscles, which are important for ensuring you're running correctly and efficiently. Doing skater's lunges are also beneficial.

Read on for three more important exercises for runners after the break.

Running Hills: Go From No Way to Give Me More

Jenny Sugar — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 10:15:55 PDT

There's an enormous hill by my house that I used to pass by and shudder. That is, until I went on a run with my hill-loving neighbor. Hills are intimidating, but they really do make us better runners. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right?

Here are some tips to make hills feel easier so you can start incorporating them into your runs.

When You're Not Running
When you're not running, cross-train with other types of intense cardio to strengthen your heart. Mountain biking, hiking, walking with the treadmill's incline pumped up - all at a vigorous pace - will do the trick. At first, it will feel like it's impossible to catch your breath, but as your body gets used to the physical demands, you'll be able to get through an intense workout without feeling like you're going to pass out.

Strong legs are also important because they propel your body weight forward when you're running up a hill. When strength training, focus on moves that target your calves, shins, quads, hamstrings, and booty like balancing side leg lift squat, reverse lunge, Superman booty lifts, calf raises, and elbow plank with donkey kick.

Keep reading to find out what tactics you can use during your run to make hills a breeze.

6 Ways to Beat Boredom on the Track

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 04:22:56 PDT

Now that school is officially out, the track at your local middle or high school is probably available for your running pleasure. Whether running around a track is new to you or a place you've always worked out, the monotony can be very calming and meditative, but it can also be extremely boring. I know it's not the most exciting place to get your run on, but since it's also not the most popular place, you can try these creative ways to beat boredom without worrying about other people giving you strange looks.

Do interval training without having to think by sprinting the straights and walking the curves.
Work on becoming a faster runner with speed training. Do this by timing yourself while running three laps. Each lap you run, try to beat your previous time.
Practice negative splits. Run a mile by running the first two laps at a slower than normal pace and then speed it up for the last two laps by running slightly faster than your normal pace.
Strength train on the move. Do walking forward lunges on the straights and walking side squats on the curves. Be sure to switch directions on the curves so you're leading with the left foot first and the right foot the second time around the curve.
Time your mile. See how fast you can run around the track four times and use this as a point of reference. Repeat every month or so, trying to shave off a few seconds every time.
Vary your steps. Since the terrain of a track is flat and predictable, you can safely practice varying your steps while running to prevent repetitive stress injuries. Here are some ideas: take baby steps, lengthen your stride and take giant steps, lift your knees high up to your chest with each step, zigzag, run sideways, or run backward.