Move Of The Week - Chest Presses

In this segment I would like to get into our workout and discuss strength training. The topic is Chest Presses. 

Before I begin I would like to debunk a standard myth about any type of weight training. The myth is that if women weight train they will look like men. It is virtually impossible to look like the men you see in bodybuilding magazines. You can work out for years and never achieve that bulky, masculine look. Why? Women do not produce large quantities of testosterone, the male hormone that promotes muscle growth. 

Benefits:
Chest presses are what I like to call a multi-hit workout. If I am short on time I make sure that I at least do a few sets. This is because you do hit some shoulders and triceps when doing this. 
That's not to say you should skip all other upper body strength training workouts. That would not help at all but on those rare occasions that I have to squeeze some kind of workout in, I never skip this.

There is also a thought that chest presses will increase your breast size. This is not true either because breast tissue is made of mainly fat cells not muscle tissue. However, doing this workout may make breasts appear slightly larger due the lifting effect the tighter muscles. Who wouldn't want to be a perkier? Another benefit is the calorie burn. Your chest muscles are such a large group of muscles that you burn more calories than just working out smaller muscle groups.

Equipment:
Proper equipment is key to a safe and effective workout. 
To do flat chest presses you would need a bench. If you are at the gym make sure that you try your bench out first. Find a bench that you can put your feet flat on the floor when you are laying down. No tip toes! I am short so I have a shorter bench with which I can do this. If you cannot find the right size then the steps below show you how to make due. You can use either dumbbells or a barbell. If using barbells you may be restricted to the size bench that is right for you. I like to use dumbbells myself. It kicks the workout up a notch because you are balancing a weight in each hand. That balancing act stimulates your muscles even more than using a barbell. Use weights that are not too heavy but not real light either. By the end of the workout you should be feeling fatigued. If you can't complete it then your weights are too heavy. If you feel like you keep going, either increase the weights or increase your reps.

How To:
Start out by lying on your back, feet flat to the floor. Bring the weights to a point just above your shoulders, palms facing towards your feet, and elbows out. 



Press the weights straight up until they're locked out right over your collarbone not your face.
 
Slowly (I can't emphasize this enough), lower the weights back to your starting position feeling the stretch in your chest muscles as your elbows drop below the level of the bench. 
This can be a bit awkward and clumsy at first but these are the best types of workouts. Always remember slow and controlled moves. Never rush.


SAFETY NOTE - If using a barbell and just starting out, it may be good idea to have a spotter behind you in case you run into a problem.

How Much:
As I said before, I prefer the Body For Life method in my workouts which would have you do these twice one week and once the next, and so on. If you choose not to use this workout method then use the work out one body part per week method. If you do this then start out doing 4 sets with each set containing 6 - 8 reps. If you choose to use lighter weights then increase the reps to 10 - 12. Keep in mind that once you are on the last set, the last couple of reps should be a little tough. You will be sore. That's ok. I always noticed that I am a little more sore a couple of days after a workout. It will go away and you will be more tone because of it.  To prevent injury, never work out the same muscle groups two days in a row.

STEP IT UP - Once you get the hang of this, you can kick it up by using a stability ball. The same rules apply but now you are balancing yourself as well as the weight stimulating even more muscle groups in your abdominals.

The most importing thing is to have fun with this. Strength training should be an enjoyable challenge. I love to have some great music that pumps me up. Do what makes you motivated. This time you put in will be well spent!

Thanks for reading!

The New IPod Touch 5th Generation

We have been all been there with our workouts. The first question - what kind of music should we listen to? Although everyone’s tastes are different one thing remains the same, we all want a good music player. Since I am able to work out in my basement, I was thrilled when my husband got me a boombox for Christmas one year. I was happy that I could play my CD’s in the player when I worked out. Something was missing however and I didn't realize then. That was 1999.

Fast forward to today and the choices are endless. What started out as huge “portable” radio/players evolved into small, ultra-light MP3 players, and my personal favorite, the IPod, particularly, the IPod Touch. I was able to use the older model 2^nd generation. This model is still going strong with the exception that you no longer are able to upgrade the software to get all the new apps. This got me thinking about the new IPod Touch 5th generation.. The more I looked into the new IPod the more I liked it. Here are some of it’s cool features.

The Look – Let’s face it, we all love eye catching designs and this IPod delivers. The new IPod is starting to look similar to the IPhones in its design but where it really differs is the bold new colors. Apple increased height not the width so you still only have to use one hand to use it. With the larger height, the screen size increased as well. The new 4 inch retina display makes it easier to view more. A plus for all us Angry Birds addicts! Add a super sleek and light aluminum body and you have a lean, mean music playing machine.


The Camera – The new IPod has a 5-megapixel ISight camera. Capture the view on your scenic runs with their new panoramic feature. Record your workouts with the 1080p HD video. Advanced optics, tap to focus, face detection, and LED flash, you can show off your progress after your workout. Also, with Shared Photo Streams, you can share it on Facebook in a flash.


The EarPods – This is pretty cool idea... make the earbuds fit comfortably in your ear. When earbuds first came out they were a bit of a one-size-fits all mentality. Extremely uncomfortable. Companies then added the rubber covers to increase the comfort and fit. That was better but with only three sizes you are still limited to either using something too snug or too loose. The new EarPods solves this problem. This is what Apple has to say, “Creating one-earbud-fits-all headphones is a challenge. That’s because everyone’s ears are different. So when Apple engineers were designing the new EarPods, they didn’t start with the speaker, they started with the ear. Unlike traditional circular earbuds, the design of the Apple EarPods is based on the geometry of the ear. Which makes them more comfortable for more people than any other earbud-style headphones.” How cool is that? So whether you are out running or hitting the weights at the gym, the new design of these earbuds won't distract you from what you want to do.


Power – Finally, to pull it all together, iOS 6 software and a powerful duel-core A5 chip has over 200 new features to make everything easier to do. Also, what everyone loved about the Iphone 4S, Siri makes her debut on the new Ipod 5 to join you on your workouts!



Overall, this device is worth a look. When working out at home, use a high quality docking station that won't break the bank like the Philips Docking Entertainment System. Great sound and a reasonable price at around $150. 

Getting Started - A Look At Body For Life

Hello All!

I would first like to say that I love love love the Body For Life principal. Bill Phillips, who created this book did a great job. It was very motivational and easy to follow. This post will highlight the workout and eating structure of this plan. As I have said in my first post that one size does not fit all but this plan is a great way of getting started. My husband bought me this book as a Christmas gift. I know what you are thinking.. why in the world would he give you that for Christmas?! I was not mad but very grateful because I was a bit lost as to how to get started. He knew my struggles and this helped me along. The great thing is we did this together and in the end looked and felt a ton better. Below I have outlined what this particular plan entails.

Eating-for Life Method

The principal behind this is pretty simple.

-Eat four to six small meals a day, one meal every two to three hours.
-Drink at least 10 cups of water per day.
-Eat a portion of protein and high quality carbs at each meal.

It sounds daunting but it's not that hard. I only found that drinking that much water was a bit tough. A portion of protein is easy to measure out. Simply use the palm of your hand to gauge a portion. There is no real need to measure. The same thing goes for the carbs. If you have say brown rice then just use your palm once again as a gauge. I recommend to load up on the veggies. Tons of good fiber and it helps make you feel more full. Add some healthy fats like olive oil and you are golden.
Some of the meals in between like meal number 2 and 4 are using things like protein shakes. EAS's Myoplex  shakes are pushed pretty heavily in the book. I will review these kind of supplements later but this is good for the program. It has all three items - protein, carbs, and water.
You do get one cheat day. I had my rest day and cheat day all in one but you pick what's right for you. The thought behind the cheat day is that you stay on track for the rest of the week. Caution - it is easy to get carried away on your cheat day. Don't undo what you worked for all week. I found for me that one cheat meal was good enough.

Strength Training

The book has an exercise guide. I won't go into two much detail about each exercise and for what body part but just a quick overview. I will cover workouts later. He gives a breakdown of body parts - chest, shoulders, back, triceps, biceps, quads, hamstrings, calves, and abdominals. All of the workouts including  cardio are based on interval training. The idea behind this is you start out high repetition (12 reps) with lighter weights and work your way to 10 reps, 8, and finally to 6 with heavier weight. My dumbbells go up in 5lb increments so my workouts for say chest presses would start off with 15lbs. and finish off with 30lbs. You go back the 12 reps with the wieght you used for your 8 rep sequence and finish off with a different exercise for the same body part also at 12 reps.

Example:
Dumbbell Chest Press
12 @ 15lbs
10 @ 20lbs
8 @ 25lbs
6 @ 30lbs
12 @ 25lbs
Dumbbell Flies
12 reps @ 10lbs
Sounds complicated but once you get going it really isn't.

Cardio

The same method applies with your cardio. I run so I do this on the treadmill. The cardio is a 20 minute workout. Does not seem like much but if you play with the intensity (speed) you can get a pretty challenging workout and not spend a whole lot of time. Great for busy people. You would start out at a level 5 intensity and finish at 10. You pick what works but keep in mind each level is a minute long so make sure to pick a speed that is challenging but not so much you quit after the first 20 seconds.

Example:
Minute 1 & 2 - Level 5 (Warm up)
Minute 3 - Level 6
Minute 4 - Level 7
Minute 5 - Level 8
Minute 6 - Level 9
Minute 7 - Level 6
Keep doing this until minute 18
Minute 19 - Level 10
Minute 20 - Level 5 (Cool down)

This workout is a little complicated but well worth the effort to learn. After a couple of weeks you will find that it will come as second nature and will be a snap to do. I add some music from my IPod or now snag my son's  IPhone 5. I definitely need music to workout with especially the cardio!

The workouts are split up with three days of weight training and three days of cardio with one rest day. This is outlined below.

Monday - Upper body strength training
Tuesday - Cardio
Wednesday - Lower body strength training
Thursday - Cardio
Friday - Upper body
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - Cardio
Monday - Lower body
...and so on.

Overall, this is a great plan. I really did well with it and continue to apply this workout method. Later, I will breakdown the different workouts for various body parts and their benefits. I look forward to hearing your comments, goals, and successes. Feel free to email me at krisonfitness@gmail.com.

Thanks for reading!

Introduction....

Hello All,

I am very excited to get started on my fitness journey and take you all with me. A quick background on me, I am a married, almost 43 year old with two great teenage boys. We live in Western New York. My husband and I have been doing things in fitness for over ten years now. Even though fitness isn't my full time job, I have always been interested in how to improve by reading and trying out different things. I also understand what it's like to juggle full time work and taking care of the family all the while trying to either get into shape and staying in shape. My goal has always been to be healthy. I would like to be around for my kids and future grandkids. Also, I don't want to rely on medications in my later years because I didn't take care of myself now. This is a good goal for everyone to approach. I'm not saying that I wouldn't love to look great in a pair of skinny jeans but putting that kind of pressure early on can be overwhelming and defeat the purpose of getting healthy. From my experience fitness is really a marathon not a sprint. A lot of trial and error goes into it and just because one thing doesn't work nothing will. Change it up and try something else. We are all different and one size doesn't fit all!
In my posts I plan to cover topics that range from workouts to supplements as well as fitness gear to include shoes, apparel, and devices like the IPhone. Also, where to get the most bang for your buck for these items. I will also review magazine content like my favorite, Oxygen. Comments are always appreciated. I look forward to talking with you soon. Thanks for reading!

Kris