Not Your Average Fitness Tips

Archive for the ‘Best Workout Routines’ Category

Are there any benefits of low intensity cardio?  With the emergence of high intensity cardio and other intense training routines, a low intensity cardio workout is not nearly as prevalent as it used to be.  Why have I started doing a lot more low intensity cardio for fat loss then?  Because it’s a great way to burn a few extra calories with very little risk of over training or injury.  This is an important component of Visual Impact Cardio and was mentioned in my interview with Rusty Moore as a great way to get the lean, Hollywood look. Continue Reading…

In the past, I’ve discussed how I use boxing workouts at home to help increase fat loss.  Now I’d like to lay out a boxing workout routine that you can use to either supplement or even replace your existing strength training routine.  What I like about a boxing training routine is that it is a high intensity, low impact program.  Because you can’t perform HIIT focused on your legs day-after-day without overtraining, boxing gives your legs a bit of a rest while still allowing you to get a great cardiovascular workout that tones your arms, ups HGH levels and results in EPOC.  Even better, a boxing training program can be done with little to no equipment in limited space. Continue Reading…

Rusty Moore recently took time away from his busy schedule to do an interview for my site.  By way of background, Rusty runs a high traffic blog called Fitness Black Book that focuses on achieving the lean, Hollywood look.  His Visual Impact Muscle Building, Visual Impact for Women, and Visual Impact Cardio workouts are some of my favorite approaches to getting a great body.  More recently, Rusty started a Facebook page where he pretty much acts as a free personal trainer answering all sorts of questions about how to get in great shape. Continue Reading…

I recently started incorporating kettlebell exercises into my workout routine.  If you want to add a little variety and ramp up fat burning, I’d highly recommend utilizing kettlebell workout routines.  So, why should you start using kettlebells?  Because they’re great for increasing strength, losing body fat, and improving your cardiovascular health.  What more could you want out of a piece of equipment?  Another benefit I’ve found is that one-arm kettlebell exercises have helped me even out the strength between my arms. Continue Reading…

A couple weeks ago, a colleague asked me about how to increase bench press.  Increasing bench press is something I used to train for a long time ago.  While it’s not one of my current goals, the first question out of a lot of people’s mouths in the gym is: how much do you bench?  However, the first thing you should be asking yourself is: why do you want to increase your bench press?  This question is important because you should adjust your bench press routine based on different end goals.  Below I outline how to increase bench press if your goal is simply increasing your one rep max, increasing muscle mass and strength, or just building a better looking chest. Continue Reading…

With summer only a few months away, I thought now would be the perfect time to focus on fat burning workouts for men and women.  I’m going to outline some tips on how to get a beach body in 2 months or less.  If you’re within 10-15lbs of your ideal beach body, it’s not too late to lose that weight and get in shape for summer.  The key here is that you’re going to need a laser-like focus on both diet and exercise.

What I outline below is really designed to be done for 4-8 weeks, not year round.  It’s possible that you could keep up this intense routine for longer without overtraining, but I believe in balancing fitness and life.  The year round maintenance workouts I outline in Fitness in a Flash are 20-30 minutes per day for 6 days per week or 45 minutes per day for 3-4 days per week.  However, I’m recommending 45-60 minutes, 6 days per week for these fat burning workout routines.  Additionally, the preferred diet plan I outline in Fitness in a Flash is based on maximizing flexibility while still achieving desirable results.  For this 4-8 week period, I’m recommending a strict approach to both what you eat and how much you eat. Continue Reading…

While I generally advocate a HIIT workout routine for getting in great shape, today I’d like to discuss a Fartlek training session.  What is Fartlek?  It’s a term that means “speed play” in Swedish and is an interval training workout that involves continuous exercise alternated between low, medium, and high intensity intervals.  The main advantages of Fartlek training are that it allows you to burn fat and also improve both anaerobic and aerobic endurance.  In other words, it helps you to more efficiently perform really intense exercise as well as improving your overall aerobic capacity. Continue Reading…

Most people realize that bodyweight exercises are great for muscular endurance, but can you perform a bodyweight workout for mass and strength?  While bodyweight exercises are convenient because they require little equipment and can be done almost anywhere, there is sometimes a perception among more experienced lifters that they are too easy and can’t be used to add muscle mass or strength.  However, I’ve found some useful techniques to help construct a bodyweight workout for mass or strength.

First of all, why am I performing a bodyweight workout?  I’m currently going through Phase 2 of Visual Impact Muscle Building which focuses on adding both muscle mass and strength.  Overall I think weight training is probably the best and fastest way to add muscle mass, but right now I’m fighting through some nagging shoulder pain, particularly during my bench press routine.  Rather than risk an injury that could derail me for a month or longer, I’m going to switch to a full bodyweight workout.  Maybe I’m just getting old, but I find it’s good to put the weights down every 6 months or so and give the joints a break from heavy weight training. Continue Reading…

If you’re like most people, weight loss is a constant struggle.  Even more challenging, most workout routines for women don’t focus on helping you get the slim, feminine physique that you desire.  Frankly, these weight loss workout routines are vastly outdated.  However, Rusty Moore has just released what is one of the best weight loss workout routines for women at the gym or at home.  His Visual Impact for Women program includes everything you ever wanted to know about exercise routines, diet plans, and cardio.  While Rusty provides suggestions and detailed plans, the goal is to give you enough information to craft your own weight loss workout routine and diet plan.  Once you learn these tips and put in a few months of effort, I’m sure you’ll realize that this is the last workout routine you’ll ever need. Continue Reading…

Do you want to build a lean body with functional strength?  Then look no further than a Marine workout routine, Army Special Forces workout routine, or Navy SEAL training program.  Think about it, these people maintain some of the best, most functional bodies in the world…not because they want to look good on the beach, but because their survival may depend on it.  As you’ll see, each of these workouts is somewhat distinct but there are general themes throughout.

First off, let me make it clear that I’ve never been in the military.  So if you’re looking for information about how to make it through boot camp or pass fitness tests, I’d recommend checking out Stew Smith’s training manuals.  Stew is a former Navy SEAL and consultant for the military’s website and you can read some of his recommendations and tips here. Continue Reading…