Friday, October 22, 2010

30 min Halloween Circuit



Happy almost Halloween everyone,
Halloween is right around the corner! For some reason it is one of my favorite holidays?

Keep you training on schedule and get in the Halloween spirit by completing this Halloween themed circuit.

This is a 50 seconds work, 10 seconds rest, 5 exercise circuit (50-10-5). I used a Halloween themed track for Workout Muse, but you can use any interval timer set to 50 seconds work, 10 seconds rest.

I also used some "Halloween" implements, but I will list alternative is parenthesis in case your gym does not have all the fun things that we have at Gainesville Health and Fitness.

1. Heavy Chain (dumbbell) Thruster
2. Kettle Bell (dumbbell) Renegade Rows
3. Cable Torso Rotations (change side at 25 second mark)
4. Pumpkin (medicine ball) Diagonal Wood chops (change sides at 25 second mark)
5. Body weight "plyo" Lunges

Take 1 min. rest after completing the circuit, then repeat for a total of 5 rounds. This workout should take about 30 minutes to complete.

Enjoy, and Happy Halloween.

Living Life with No Regrets............ No Excuses....
Scott

Monday, October 11, 2010

Quick Tip- Are you truly training your back??



Hi Everyone,
As I watch people training around the gym one of the exercises that I most frequently see done wrong is the row and every variation of the row. What I usually see is a very ugly bicep exercise that never truly touches the muscles of your back.

So, next time you train your back follow these basic form principles:
1. "Sit up tall". Keep your chest up and pull your shoulder blades(scapula) back. You must retract or pull back your shoulder blades to properly work the muscles of the back (lats, and rhomboids). All to often I watch people "hunching" forward, rounding their shoulders and then pull the weight to their chest without actually moving their shoulder blades. All this is doing is working your biceps while promoting poor posture.
2. Don't "hike" your shoulders. It is important to keep your shoulder blades down and back while performing the row. It is very common for people to be very dominant in their upper traps, which will make them hike their shoulders up towards their ears as they row. The result of this form error is usually a tight and sore neck from over working your upper traps.
3. Don't sway. Another common form error I witness is people gaining excess momentum from swaying their entire upper torso while they perform the row. This is usually the result of the weight being to heavy. This motion will indeed work the upper back effectively as long as the previously mentioned principles are met, however, you are also working the lower back under a very heavy load which can also lead to unnecessary soreness and possible injury.

Next time you train your back be sure that you follow these basic form principles and you will "Truly be training your back!"


Living life with No regrets...... No excuses.....
Scott

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Quick Tip- Low Fat Saute



Hi Everyone,
Everyone that knows me knows that I love to eat! Truth be told it is one of the main reasons that I exercise so frequently. But, at the same time eating the right foods at the right time is vitally important to your success within your fitness plan. I enjoy a lot of variety in my eating habits and sauteing meats and vegetables is a very popular way to prepare foods. Unfortunately it can also be a very high fat way to prepare foods.

Follow the steps below to eliminate the fats used in traditional sautes by substituting flavorful liquids in place of butter, margarine, or oil. Instead try using chicken or vegetable stock, dry sherry, red or white wine, fruit juice, vinegar, or soy sauce.

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the above liquids in a saute pan over medium heat.
2. When the liquid begins to steam, and ingredients ans stir.
3. Continue to saute, stirring frequently, until the liquid in the pan evaporates. Then add 2 more tablespoons of the liquid, stirring to scrape up the glaze at the bottom of the pan.
4. Continue to cook, adding liquid as necessary, until done.

Now, enjoy a lower-fat, and healthier meal!!

Living life with no Regrets...........NO excuses
Scott

"Life Is Motion"

"Life Is Motion"
Turkish Get Up