FitSugar

Powerhouse Hit the Deck Workout System

FitSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:00:17 -0800

Powerhouse Hit the Deck ($20) is a new workout system that you can do "anywhere, anytime, with no fitness equipment needed." It's made up of 35 color-coded cards and an interval timer. Each card has a strength/cardio exercise on it, and its color denotes the exercise's level of difficulty. The levels are broken down in a cute way - no sweat (easy), I'm glistening (medium), and sweating buckets (hard) - and there are five warmup/cooldown cards too.

Using the Powerhouse deck is pretty simple:

Set the interval timer to how long you want to do an individual exercise - I set mine to 30-second intervals.
Always start each workout by drawing the yellow cards; these are the warmup exercises.
Read over the first card, hit the timer, and do as many repetitions of the exercise on the card as possible until the timer beeps.
Stop the timer, draw the next card and repeat.
After getting through the warmup exercises, draw from the rest of the deck and continue the process for as long as you like.

To see what I thought of the system, read more.

I liked the Powerhouse deck and thought it was a great cross-training workout. There are all sorts of variations you can do to change it up: go totally random and draw cards regardless of difficulty, keep your workout limited to one difficulty level, or build on difficulty as the workout progresses. You can also decide how much time you want to spend on your workout by pulling a certain number of cards before you begin. I liked shuffling the cards I pulled before starting so that my workout would always be a complete surprise.

The pace of the workout is a lot like the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD, but the drawback is you don't have Jillian's motivation or anyone there to explain proper form. Given that it's just you and a deck of cards, you really have to rely on yourself for motivation. Also, you have to make sure you're following the cards as closely as possible so you don't injure yourself.

Though I wouldn't use the deck in place of my gym or even a workout DVD, this is a great set to have for traveling or if you need a quick way to relieve some stress.

View 4 Photos ›

Cross Train With Every Step

FitSugar — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:21:16 -0700

If you're training for a marathon and logging 40-plus miles a week, there is one physical activity you still do much, much more than running: walking. With every step you take, you can better prepare your body for running. Here's how to cross train with every step:

Posture: The alignment of your spine, pelvis, and ribcage is an important element of being an efficient runner. While posture can be the last thing on your mind as you're running sprint intervals, you can pay attention to your torso alignment while moving at the leisurely pace of walking.
Abs: When walking, just like when running, work on engaging your low and deep abs. Your low belly, about two inches below your belly button should be taut. This helps to keep your pelvis stable so your momentum keep you moving forward rather than wasting energy with side-to-side movement of your pelvis.

Learn two more tips.

Pilates For Cross Training

FitSugar — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 03:00:00 -0700

I firmly believe Pilates makes everything better. I have been selling the exercise method as a form of cross training to many of my endurance athlete friends - primarily because many endurance athletes skimp on strength training due to lack of time, lack of interest, or they just plain don't know that there are so many reasons do it.

Pilates is great for runners, swimmers, and cyclists because it works the core, and a strong stable core makes you more efficient and less prone to overuse injuries, which can plague endurance athletes. As a cross-training method, Pilates works flexibility training into the many multitasking moves that make up the exercise repertoire. Keeping muscles flexible protects your joints and helps prevent injury. Lastly, Pilates is a form of functional fitness, meaning many of the exercises translate directly into everyday actions, from lifting heavy objects to leaning forward over handle bars.

If you're training for a marathon or a long-distance swim, make sure to schedule time for cross training and be sure to check out Pilates.

Source

Cross-Training Quiz

FitSugar — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:15:00 -0700

We're constantly told to cross train, but do you really know what that means? Take this fun little cross-training quiz to see how much you know and to find out if cross training is for you.

Source

Take the quiz

Fit Tip: Cross Train

FitSugar — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 08:45:00 -0800

If you are going gang busters at the gym, as many people do come January, and are just tackling the treadmill I am here to urge you to cross train. Variety is the spice of life and if you are mixing up your workouts the chances of getting bored and stopping significantly decreases. Boredom is one major fitness routine killer.

The best part of cross training is that if you are trying to lose weight, cross training can help you burn more calories. Since the human body has evolved to be an efficient machine, it quickly adapts to the stresses we put on it. If running is your go to cardio exercise, when your running improves and you become a more efficient runner you also burn less calories. To alter this unfortunate situation, to burn more calories you need to confuse the efficient machine by adding unfamiliar movements into your exercise pattern. Why not mix swimming in with your running? If you feel like you are an especially bad swimmer, think of all those calories you will be burning just trying to stay afloat.

There's another bonus to cross training to lean about it read more.

Another bonus of cross training is that mixing up your routine also decreases repetitive strain injuries from over use. Adding biking, swimming, etc. to a running program, your joints get a break and your muscles will be worked in different ways. Making you well rounded in your fitness.

Fit's Tip: Cross training, and working out in inefficient ways, can work against you if you are attempting to run a fast marathon. In that case, you simply need to run. However, why not save your leg joints and trade one run a week for a pool run. Running in water means you are working your muscles against the resistance of the water by not pounding your joints on the pavement.

And you? How do you cross train? Share your cross training plan in the comments section below.

Source

Cross Training For Cyclists and Swimmers

FitSugar — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 10:15:00 -0800

If you spend hours a week on a bike or in a pool that is great. Your knees probably love you for it. However, here is a gentle reminder to add a little variety to your routine with cross-training work. Cross training not only helps battle boredom, but it also keeps you a well-rounded athlete.

Coach Chris Carmichael (he coached Lance Armstrong) provides these simple suggestions:

Get on your feet: Develop neglected hip-stabilizer muscles with activities that require lateral (side-to-side) movements: racquet sports, basketball, skating, cross-country skiing, and trail running.
Don't forget to stretch: Cyclists should spend considerable time working on flexibility, as the typical cycling position can lead to chronically tight hamstrings, glutes, and back muscles. Swimmers need to make sure their shoulders stay flexible as well.
Core stability: If you’re going to hit the gym, work primarily on core stability. From a time standpoint, this will provide the biggest impact on your sport-specific performance.

Fit's Tip: Since we're heading into a four-day weekend, it should be a bit easier to find the time to mix up your routine.

Source

Add Variety: Change Your Routine

FitSugar — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 08:45:00 -0700

A lot of us have a routine when we exercise. Routines are great because they enable us to have a plan and execute it without too much thinking involved. The downside to routines is that they can get a little, well routine.

To avoid boredom in your exercise routine, think about doing the same exercises, but changing the order in which you do them. Not only will you avoid boredom but going about your routine in a different order will stimulate a different pattern of motor unit recruitment.

For example-
If your typical workout consists of: Warm up for five minutes on treadmill, elliptical for 30 minutes, leg press, lunges, squats and then calf raises.
Then next time try this: Warm up on the stair master for five minutes, leg presses, squats, lunges, calf raises and then hit the elliptical for 30 minutes.

Get it Up - Your Heart Rate, That is: Cross Training

FitSugar — Mon, 07 May 2007 09:30:00 -0700

One of the best ways to get the most out of your workout (and to beat boredom and prevent over-use injuries) is by cross training. This means you use a variety of different methods to get your heart rate up in one session.

Try this:

Warm-up -- 5 minutes
Bike to your local park -- 15 minutes
Run -- 20 minutes
Bike back home -- 15 minutes
Cool-down -- 5 minutes

This way, 60 minutes have gone by before you know it. Don't own a bike or have a park that's within biking distance? You can achieve the same idea at the gym by using the stationary bike and the treadmill.

Cross-Training Injury Prevention

FitSugar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:00:00 -0700

Active people and athletes are all about cross-training because the variety helps burn extra calories, it keeps workouts from getting boring, and it helps to strengthen your entire body. More important, it's recommended to help prevent injuries caused by repetitive movements or over-use of muscles. Ironically though, injuries can happen when switching up your routine, either because you're new to the activity, you're not paying attention, or because your competitive edge kicks in and you push yourself too hard. So keep these in mind:

You don't have to work hard all the time. When cross-training, make sure you balance hard workouts with more relaxing, low-impact ones. It'll save you energy and give your body a chance to rest.
Don't push yourself beyond your limit. You might be able to run a mile in less than six minutes, but flexibility, is just not your thing. If you experiment with yoga and the class is all about intense hamstring stretches, don't force your body to do what it's not trained to do. You could end up tearing a muscle that prevents you from exercising at all.

To hear the other tips read more.

Choose complimentary cross-training activities to stretch the muscles you strengthen and to tone the muscles your normal workouts tend to ignore. If you're an avid cyclist, cross-training by using the stepper machine will still be working your quads and not much else. So explore different types of activities that target all the parts of your body.
Be aware of the weakness you have. If you're a runner, then your legs may be strong, but your upper body may be lacking. So approach activities that work these weaker muscle groups with ease.

Source

Fit Tip: Vary Your Routine

FitSugar — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:00:00 -0800

It's February and hopefully you're proud of yourself for sticking to the resolution you made on Jan. 1 to start exercising regularly. You've been hitting the gym three times a week, doing 30 minutes on the treadmill and 40 minutes of weight training and stretching. It's a wonderful feeling once you get going on a consistent workout schedule, but just as pushing yourself too hard can lead to injury, so can engaging in the same exercise over and over without varying your routine. This can put you at risk for overuse injuries and muscle imbalances, not to mention it's so boring that you won't be motivated to stick with it.

So mix things up and cross train. Instead of always running on the treadmill, alternate between swimming, using the elliptical, or taking a spinning class. If you're always using dumbbells to strength train, try using weight machines, kettlebells, or resistance bands. Varying your routine will challenge and work all your muscle groups, so not only will you have more fun, but your entire body will get stronger and more fit.

Source