fitfreshman.com

Faster Fat loss

admin — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:36:05 +0000

There are three schools of thought when it comes to cardio for fat loss, you have those who are die hard cardio fanatics, those who think its the devil and those who think when done properly it can have huge implications on the amount of calories burned during a workout.

The following program is something that I have been doing with my personal training clients and seeing great increases in conditioning as well as fat loss. The key is to perform this mini circuit at the end of your total body training program or even on the off days when you aren’t resistance training, it will rev up your metabolism and keep the fire burning for a few hours. Okay lets get to it.

3 Minutes of Hell Circuit (Que organ music duhduh duhhhh)

Exercise 1: push-ups off knees 30 seconds

Exercise 2: Alternating lunges 30 seconds straight or 15 reps per leg

Exercise 3: Jump tucks 30 seconds straight or 15 reps total

Exercise 4: Mountain climbers 30 seconds straight or 30 reps

Exercise 5: speed squats 30 seconds straight or 30 reps

Exercise 6: Plank hold count to 30 seconds

Lay down and wish you were dead……word to the wise this is an advanced program tune in tomorrow for a beginner version of this

Question of the day

admin — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:01:21 +0000

Hey Teiko,
Ya, I have a quick question but let me put it into context. Right now I’m doing a workout that is 3 sets of everything with 12 reps and every week I’ve been increasing the weight. So my question is: Is it alright to do 2 sets on one weight and then decrease the weight for the last set? OR Is it better to just do all three sets at the lower weight?

A: This depends on what your goals are; generally when prescribing an exercise program I use something called ” the rule of two’s”.
The rule of two’s states that if you are given a number of reps (ie: 12 reps) and you can perform two consecutive sets with the weights given, chances are you can increase the
weight. With that said if you are constantly increasing the weight and find that on the last set you cannot perform all of the allotted reps, maintain the same weight and try to get as many reps
as you can.

Tip of the day

admin — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:42:22 +0000

It seems as if scientists have confirmed what we have known all along, exercise performance can be increased by listening to your favorite tunes.

“Studies conducted by sports psychologists have determined that music has a great impact on the performance level of an athlete. It has been suggested that the correct type of music can heighten an athlete’s performance by up to twenty percent [1]. A sports psychologist at Brunel University, Dr. Costas Karageorghis, has done studies to see the results of synchronous music and asynchronous music. Synchronous music, music that has a clear and steady beat, was what was shown to elevate a person’s performance by twenty percent whereas asynchronous music, background music, was shown to calm the nerves of athletes by as much as ten percent”

So next time you head to the gym, make sure you pack your mp3 player

Question of the week

admin — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 10:38:19 +0000

Q: Hi Teiko

I have been dieting and exercising for a few weeks now and have had some pretty good results. Right now I am pretty much on a low carb diet…for breakfast i eat like 2 scrambled eggs (take out one yolk) and a fruit with it like a banana or something.. or i have a little bit of fiber cereal with it (without milk just plain), ill also have a granola bar and a few crackers throughout the day and finish the day with chicken/fish for lunch/dinner and then fruits and veges

When I go to the gym I just run for like 45-50 minutes sweat it up and that’s it but i need a flat stomach dammit.. and I need to abolish the love handles
WHAT DO I DO TEEEEKKSSS!

R Khalil

A: The first thing I would recommend is that add some sort of resistance training into your current program, running has been working so far, but remember your body will adapt to any exercise that you perform over time. The beauty of resistance training is that whenever you change your exercise program it will promote another spurt in fat loss.

A second thing you can try is to switch up the form of cardio you have been doing. Running on the treadmill can be effective for fat loss, but try adding some HIIT training or even jump rope training to rev things up a bit.

The final thing I would suggest you look into is; supplementing with fish oils through out the day, many studies over the years have concluded that those who take fish oils in addition to exercise can speed up weight loss 4x faster than those who dont.

Give some of these suggestions a try and let me know, how things go.

Question of the week

admin — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 02:36:03 +0000

lean lower body

Q: I need advice. How can I tone my lower body (particularly hamstrings and butt) in 4 weeks? In the past I found that weights makes me noticeably bigger (even at high reps) and very quickly. So I’ve always stuck to running for legs. Any suggestions?

Tsing Lam

A: Most women who build up muscles in the lower body very quickly cannot do too much leg work without increasing the size of their quads, to get around this problem incorporate exercises like hip bridges and quadruped extensions, these exercises allow you to work the legs without overloading them.

admin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:28:48 +0000

Drop Your Freshman15 medicine ball circuit

admin — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:42:53 +0000

Perform 3 sets with a 60 second rest in-between sets for maximum fat loss

workout of the day – Sculpt

admin — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:54:37 +0000

Warm-up:

Arm circles x 12
Chest &back x 12
PNF patterns x 12
Prisoner squat x 12
leg swings (multiple directions) x 15

Mini circuit 1: Butt & Thighs
A1: Walking lunge 20 repetitions
A2: Hip lift 20 repetitions per leg
rest 60 seconds and repeat 2 more sets

Mini circuit 2: Shoulders and Arms
B1: Standing dumbbells shoulder press 12 repetitions
B2: Dumbbells biceps curl 15 repetitions
B3: Overhead triceps extension 15 repetitions
rest 60 seconds and repeat 2 more sets

Mini circuit 3: Abs and Lower back
C1: Reverse abdominal crunch 15 repetitions
C2: Laying superman 15 repetitions
C3: Plank hold on elbows 30 seconds
rest 60 seconds and repeat 2 more sets

Introducing The Drop Your Freshman 15, Lean,Sculpt,Tone system

admin — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:36:25 +0000

Hey Guys

Here is some exciting news, we have gone to the drawing board and come up with an innovative system to guarantee you maximum results with your workout routines. The new system is called the Lean, Sculpt, Tone system and we promise you that you have never experienced anything like it.

What is the Lean, Sculpt Tone system?

It is an awesome way for you to mix up your current workouts. On the original Drop Your Freshman 15 program you would follow your total body training programs 2-3 times a week always focusing on training the whole body. As effective as that system is for fat loss, we figured that it may not be ideal for those looking to add a little bit of muscle. To combat this we have created a workout mix. From now on the workouts posted on the blog will fall into one of three categories;

Lean; Total body circuit training programs for those of you who want to drop as much fat as possible in the shortest period of time.

Sculpt: Workouts focusing on specific trouble spots like the abs, butt and stomach

Tone: A combination of the previous workouts, meant to drop fat while toning up trouble zones.

Workouts will be marked with a graphic indicating which day the fall under from now on. We hope you enjoy this new workout mix, leave comments letting us know.

In Health
Teiko

5 Exercises to give your butt a boost

admin — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:12:10 +0000

5 Exercises to give your butt a boost

It was once thought that being blessed with what your momma gave you was the only way to get a great butt. Now that women have started exercising more frequently we know that just isn’t true, a firm shapely bum can be had by anyone willing to put in the work, you just have to know what you are doing. In an effort to help you on your road to bootyliciousness I have compiled a list of the top 5 exercises that will create a perfect butt.

1: The Hip lift

Once practiced only in Yoga studios, the hip lift has gone mainstream. This multipurpose booty blaster is often used to wake up the muscles of the butt before moving on to more challenging exercises. To perform the hip lift correctly start by lying on your back. Then bend the knees so that they form 90 degrees, keep the feet on the floor. Next lift your butt off the ground and hold the top position for a count of two seconds. Make sure to squeeze the cheeks and then slowly lower the hips to the floor. Perform 10-15 repetitions each set

2: The squat

The king of lower body exercises, squats can give your backside a boost faster than you can say “Kardashian”. Start the exercise by placing the feet shoulder width apart, with the arms extended straight out in front of the body. Next push your hips back while maintaining an upright posture and bend your knees (imagine you are sitting back onto an invisable chair). Once your thighs are parallel to the floor pause for a 2 seconds count and then slowly stand back up. Aim for 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions to really get the backside burning.

3: The split squat

The split squat is a one leg variation of the squat, in this exercise there will be a greater emphasis on working the one leg at a time, making it perfect for building up the weak muscles of the butt.
To start the exercise, place one leg out in front and position the other leg backwards (there should be about 2-3 feet distance between both feet). Elevate the heel of the trailing leg and bend both knees. at the bottom position each leg will form a 90 degree bend. If you feel an intense stretch in the thigh of the back leg, it means that the foot is too far back. Complete the movement by standing up into the starting position. Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions per leg.

4: The Step up

Known for developing apple bottoms the world over, the step up ranks highest for creating great glutes. Start the step up by placing a foot on a bench or step. Bend the elevated leg so that it forms 90-degree’s and point the toe of the trailing leg into the sky. Next place your hands on the hips and stand tall. Once in position forcibly push the lead foot into the bench and slowly stand up. At the top position you should be standing on the bench with both feet. Complete the movement by slowly lowering the trail leg back to the ground. Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions with one leg then switch to the other.

5: The Dead lift

Band deadlift pictured above

Though the name “ dead lift may conjure up terrifying images, the actual effects of this exercise can be summed up as terrific. Start the exercise by holding a dumbbell in each hand. Position the
dumbbells in front of the thighs. Next force the hips back while maintaining a soft bend in the knees. The key to a picture perfect dead lift is to maintain a flat back throughout the exercise. Complete the dead lift by pushing the hips forward, standing up tall and squeezing the butt at the end. Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions for an optimal burn.