Jump to It: 10/24/2012

Raking leaves can be a lot of fun! It is a great way to interact with friends and family. It makes the front yard look tidy. You can pile the leaves into those fun little orange pumpkin trash bags to decorate your yard for Halloween. Make a pile the leaves and jump into that pile, and then toss the leaves around just to pile them up again. But have you ever thought that you just might be getting exercise? Well, you are. It might not be high endurance, but you will definitely be burning some calories. A 150 lb person will roughly burn 307 kcal per hour with raking leaves. That is pretty exciting!

Kettlebell Workout 8 of 9: 10/20/2012

I am sure some of you are thinking that it is about time installment 8 of 9 of kettlebell training by Mbodystrength.com is here. The intensity is increased in this 8th installment of the beginner kettlebell workout. Much like the 7th installment, this session has two 20 minute circuits with a two minute rest in between the two circuits. Unlike the 7th installment, there is a whole lot more body weight exercises. This session is sure to test your limits. Push as hard as you can throughout the entire 40 min of this workout. Keep your resistance and intensity high during this workout to make this session a resistance / cardio workout, which will enable you to burn more fat. Why? High intensity training has been shown to increase exercise post oxygen consumption (EPOC) in study participants, and this rise in EPOC leads to larger amounts of fat burned after exercise. I hope that you enjoy this series of kettlebell workouts, because they are enjoyable, fun, and definitely a great way to burn the fat and build muscle.  Push it and each time you do this workout try to beat your last number of sets. This workout series is brought to you by Marcus Martinez from Mbodystrength.com and I hope that you have been able to enjoy these fun and exciting workouts. There is only one more installment left of the series, and as soon as it is made available I will share it to you. Have fun! 

Exercises / Reps

Workout 8 of 9
Circuit 1*: 
Windmill L/R-3
High Pull L/R-6
A Frame Pushup-6
Jump Rope-50

*as many sets in 20 minutes

Rest 2 minutes 

Circuit 2*: 
Goblet Squat-10
Swing-15
Side Press L/R-5
Weighted Lunge L/R-5

                                  
*as many sets in 20 minutes

Video:

Sugar the Unlikely Killer: 10/19/2012

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Sugar is sweet
And will kill you  



Sugar the evil that we all love. Though it will never initially kill you, it might aid in the process. People don't love rapists, child molesters, murderers, but they do love sugar. Why is this? Well the human body runs primarily on carbs and fats for energy. The human body knows that sugar will give it quick and easy energy. That is one of the reasons why our bodies crave sugary foods. But don't give into temptation. Sugar is linked to foods with empty calories like soda. Empty calories = foods with little to no nutritional value. Meaning all you get is calories and very few vitamins and minerals. Sugar is directly connected to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and is the primary food source for cancer cells. So, yes, sugar will aid in the spreading and feeding of cancer cells. It is time to start limiting your sugar intake. Stop drinking sugary sodas. Take care of your life. Take care of your health. Say no to sugar. It probably wouldn't pass the FDA today if it were up for review, so why would you consume it daily or even hourly?

Let's Play Hardball: 10/09/2012

Today's "MAD" workout is brought to us by John Celis who is the owner of AbsoluTraining and My Bad Methods Magazine. Like many other fitness professionals, he tries to keep his workouts unique and interesting. This workout is a full body ab-explosion! Guaranteed to work your midsection.

Hardball Bodyweight Workout #1 Instructions:
Phase 1 (Weeks 1-2): Complete this workout as a circuit with no rest in between exercises and 45-60 seconds rest between sets. Complete 3-4 circuits.
Phase 2 (Weeks 3-4): Complete this workout as a circuit with no rest in between exercises and 30-45 seconds rest between sets. Complete 3-4 circuits performing each exercise for 60 seconds time (ignore reps listed in video).
Phase 3 (Weeks 5-6): Complete this workout as a circuit with no rest in between exercises and 30 seconds rest between sets. Complete 4-5 circuits with prescribed reps/time. Finish the workout as quickly as possible and record your time.

Hardball Bodyweight Workout #1
A1: Suspended Pendulum Swing - 3-4 x 15
A2: Parallette Tuck Jumps - 3-4 x 15
A3: Suspended Overhead Squat - 3-4 x 15
A4: Explosive Plank - 3-4 x 15

Find out more about Jon Celis at http://www.AbosulTraining.com

Favorite Snow Activity: 10/05/2012

Snow has landed in beautiful Denver, CO for the 2012 winter season, so what does that mean for you? It means that it just might be time for you to think about bringing out your skis, snowboards, snow shoes, or what ever else you use as a winter weather activity tool. What ever the winter brings you, may you still be able to enjoy your outdoors for a fabulous healthy activity.

Did you know these activities can burn a lot of calories per hour. A 150 lb person will burn on average this amount of calories with these winter activities per hour.

Shoveling snow 392 Kcal
Cross Country Skiing 768 Kcal
Downhill Skiing 589 Kcal
Moderate Snowboarding 429 Kcal
Snowmobiling 232 Kcal
Snowshoeing 554 Kcal
Ice Skating 429 Kcal

The Presidential Debate Workout- D-Town Style: 10-03-2012

The first Presidential debate of 2012 is upon us and you know what that means? It is time to get physical. Here is a challenge for you. Number one, watch the debate. Two, wear comfortable clothing. Three, have some water handy. And four, get ready to sweat. Here is a workout game that may have found its rules from some similar drinking games.

Here is the game. Every time one of the candidates mentions the following words/phrases do the aligned actions.

Jobs = 5 push-ups

Employment = 5 crunches

Middle Class = 15 sec plank

Economy = 5 squats

Health Care = 15 sec side plank

Gay Marriage = 5 seated tricep press

Immigration = 15 sec glute bridge

Do you think you will survive this challenge? If so, then do it. No fair taking sides on this one. If any of the candidate say the above words then you better work. Now do your civic duty by taking care of your health and don't forget to vote this November (if you are an eligible voter of the USA). 

Your House is a Gym Part I: 10/01/2012

Your house is full of versatile items that you can put to use to make a gym out of your own home. Just look around you and you will see that in your home there are a multitude of items that you can use to get a good workout. Having limited or no access to a gym should never be an excuse to not get a workout in, and, in actuality, that excuse is simply lame. This is the beginning of a small series that will focus on using your home as a gym.

Item #1 Bench

A bench is the perfect item in your home. Not only can it be used for a chest press or a chest fly, but you can use it to angle your push-ups,  perform single leg squats (see video), or to train your triceps. A sturdy bench will even give you the opportunity to perform side steps, side jumps, or even heavy lifting. Check out the quality and sturdiness of your bench before doing heavy lifting or jumping.

Item #2 Heavy Duty Trash Bags and a Duffle Bag or Two

Put some sand into heavy duty trash bags and double them up to secure the sand then put them in different sized duffle bags and you suddenly have a bunch of different weighted sand bags for some fabulous functional training. Weigh each bag and mark the weight with spray paint so you are sure of the weight that you are lifting. Looking for some ideas? Check this video out.

  

Item #3 Basketball

A basketball is a simple item that can have many different uses. Use it to add some instability to a push-up, mountain climbers, or to give you some extra resistance to a Russian Twist. Another great option would be for side ball tosses or even wall balls[see video (though you will not get much weight out of a basketball, you can still get a good workout with one)]. Don't have a basketball? Substitute a volleyball or soccer ball for the basketball, anything round that can bounce.

More items to come in the next few weeks. Have any household item workouts that you would like to share? Feel free to leave a comment and share them with everyone.