Not Your Average Fitness Tips

Archive for April, 2010

Supersets can be the key to a more effective, faster workout.  If you’ve trained using the traditional approach to strength training that involves completing one set, resting, completing a second set of the same exercise, etc., then supersets could really jumpstart your routine.  A superset takes away the inefficient rest time and replaces it with a set of a different exercise.  In this manner, you perform one set after another for two exercises.  For example, you would perform a set of bench press, then a set of curls, another set of bench press, etc.  There are a few key benefits to supersets listed below. Continue Reading…

There’s a question that’s constantly asked: should I focus on diet or exercise for weight loss?  While both components are important parts of weight loss, it’s very challenging, if not impossible, to out-exercise a poor diet.  Conversely, a good diet can lead to weight loss results even if an exercise program is less than stellar.

Calorie Burning Basics

Your body burns a certain number of calories every day, even if you sit in bed all day.  This is known as your basal metabolic rate (BMR).  You can use this calculator to compute your BMR.  The key to weight loss is that you have to eat less than your BMR or burn enough calories to offset any excess consumption above BMR.  To lose 1lb, you will need to reduce or burn 3,500 calories. Continue Reading…

A study that appeared in Monday’s Archives of Internal Medicine (AP article) revealed some interesting facts about living longer.  The study revealed that there are four bad habits that add 12 years to your age:

1. Smoking
2. 3 drinks per day for men, 2 for women
3. Less than 2 hours of exercise per week
4. Less than 3 servings of fruits and vegetables daily

The first two are rather obvious candidates as the negatives of smoking and excessive long-term drinking have been well documented.  However, the fact that a very basic level of physical activity and nutrition play a role in aging surprised me. Continue Reading…

I’d like to document 24 hours of fasting (the approach recommended by Eat Stop Eat) so you can see that it’s not as hard as it sounds.  Here is the fast I did on Monday. Continue Reading…

HGH is a hot supplement.  Many athletes and celebrities have been busted for illegally purchasing HGH injections.  What’s so special about HGH (human growth hormone)?  It’s a hormone that burns fat and preserves muscle mass.  What person wouldn’t want that?  The amazing thing is that you don’t need supplements to increase production of this hormone.  There are a few simple tricks to naturally increase your HGH levels without illegally buying drugs.   Continue Reading…

Let’s face it, six pack abs are the end goal of a lot of men and women.  They’re a status symbol in some ways.  They shout: “I care about my body and I work really hard to maintain it.”  For most people, six pack abs are a pipedream.  However, if you’re willing to put in an intense effort and focus on eating well and exercising hard, you may one day realize this goal. Continue Reading…

Are you the person who gets on the treadmill and does a nice easy-paced jog for an hour?  Are you proud when you see that you burned 1,000 calories in an hour?  Bad news on two fronts…you wasted a lot more time than you needed to and you didn’t really burn 1,000 calories.

Cardio machines are notoriously bad at estimating how many calories you burn in a given period of time.  Even with an intense workout, 500-600 calories per hour is probably the most you will burn.  What’s the most efficient way to burn those calories?  High intensity interval training combined with steady state cardio. Continue Reading…

A full body circuit training workout routine can offer the best aspects of exercising in one complete package.  Done effectively, circuit training can result in fat loss, maintenance of muscle mass, and a cardiovascular workout, all done within a short amount of time.  Fat loss accelerates because you are rapidly pushing weights around and moving exercise to exercise, resulting in increased HGH levels and glycogen burning.  Muscle mass is preserved by ensuring that you can lift the same amount week after week.  Finally, your heart rate remains elevated for 15-20 minutes providing a nice cardiovascular benefit. Continue Reading…

A big challenge when undertaking a diet and exercise routine is how to measure the results.  Have you ever been shocked to see your weight increase after working really hard on a new program?  Unfortunately, weight does not capture the full picture as you may have actually added muscles mass.  To provide a clearer picture, you should also take into account your body fat percentage.  There are a variety of ways to measure body fat, and I will go through the best methods that you can use at home. Continue Reading…

I’ve posted a detailed Adonis Effect Review.  Please check it out under Best Workout Routines, and let me know your thoughts.

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