Homeworkouts- Body weight Exercises/ No Equipment Pt 2

It's been a long time since my previous post and i apologize to all my readers for such a delay in posts. My last post was about home workouts without equipment and dealt with squats, push-ups and lunges and how those exercises are to be performed- the link for the same post is as follows  http://1103strengthfitness.blogspot.in/2015/09/homeworkouts-bodyweight-exercisesno.html
Now in this post i shall tell you about crunches, press ups, jumping jacks and mountain climbers and will also tell you the benefits of all these exercises.
A.  Crunches
     Now everyone everywhere is obsessed about abs and the six packs and a flat tummy and the major driver towards fitness is that growing tummy which completely destroys our body image, our physical appearance/ body aesthetics and in pursuit of that flat tummy we all start doing crunches- a very common and well known as well as abused exercise. Why abused? Well, to get a flat tummy or the six pack you need to lose body fat and to bring down body fat percentage below 10 percent and to do that only crunches are not going to do anything but you need a total body workout- something that i will discuss in a post regarding fat loss. Now as for crunches- the abs exercise- if alone not going to give a flat tummy then why to do it? The answer is for a strong core- strong abdominal muscles and to strengthen the whole body. The abdominal muscles are what that transfers power from the lower  body to the upper body and vice versa.
  How to perform-
1. Lie down flat on the floor on your back and bring your legs closer to your hips( knees bent) and hands clasped on the back of your head.
2. Now curl the body up using abdominal strength shortening the distance between rib cage and pelvis without moving the hips and while doing this keep elbows tucked in close to the ears and gaze towards the navel/ belly button.
3. Come back to original position.
4. Do about 6-10 repetitions per set for 3 sets.
5. Remember not to move your neck or bend the neck anyway as you are not working the neck but working  your stomach/abdominal. If you bend your neck you will be injured in the neck.
6. Maintain proper form and exhale on the way up and inhale on the way down.

Press Ups

B. Press Ups
    Now Press Ups is an exercise which is normally done by Indian Wrestlers - the pehlwaans and it is kind of a difficult variation of the push up  wherein your shoulders, rotator cuffs, abdominals, triceps, back and chest muscles are worked out as well as a bit of lower body muscles. This exercise is also called as Zor(in Hindi) and is great strengthening exercise.
 How to perform-
1. Get in the starting position of the push up but raise your hips creating a triangle with the floor being the base means palms and toes on floor with hips raised.
2. Now from this position slide into a push up's lowering down position and then go forward and raise your torso upward a bit and go back into starting position. This whole movement is to be done in one swift motion like a wave wherein your body moves in an "S" motion only horizontal to the floor.
3. Do about 6-10 reps for 3 sets and increase reps as your strength increases.

C. Jumping Jacks
     Well it is the most easy exercise of all and it works the whole body and helps in strengthening and is a good cardio exercise.
  How to do -
1. Stand with feet together and hands by the side.
2. In one motion jump your feet out to the side and raise your hands sideways above your head.
3. Immediately reverse the position by jumping back to the original position.
4. Do the move continuously non-stop for at least 20 repetitions. Perform as fast as possible.
5. Do 5 sets of 20reps.
Keep Jumping!

D. Mountain Climbers
 This is full body exercise which benefits muscular and cardiovascular fitness as well as flexibility.
   How to do -
1. Get into a push up position with the hands directly below chest at shoulder width, arms straight.
2. Now raise your right foot and place it near your chest then take right foot down to starting position and simultaneously lift left foot towards the chest in an alternating continuous motion.
3. Perform at least 10 reps per set for 3 sets. Increase reps gradually.

Now the exercises that are discussed are easy and can be done by beginners also. There are plenty of other body weight exercises and variations which we will discuss as we progress.
 1103strengthfitness your very own personal trainer signing out with the bodybuilders' salute.

Note -the images from the web are from the web and do not belong to 1103strengthfitness. Some images might contain the websites of their origin and can be viewed/followed for motivation/advice they have to offer wherein 1103strengthfitness does not gaurantee about any advice given by the other websites and is just for informational purposes and practical application is at your own will.

Homeworkouts - Bodyweight Exercises/No Equipment Pt 1

Now that we have covered the 5 components of Fitness which are cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, musculo-skeletal strength, flexibility and body composition, it is long overdue that I told you about exercises.
Basically the right time to exercise is now! And right now you might be at home, in the office or maybe somewhere other than a gym. Now many of us with the intent of getting fit tend to join a gym and then keep missing from actually going to the gym for some or the other reason or maybe you might complain that the membership fees are high or just a bill for a service that you might not use. So comes the need to exercise with your own body-weight after all it is your own. The best body-weight exercises that you can do and all have probably heard are push ups, squats, lunges, crunches, jumping jacks, press ups, burpees, mountain climbers and duck walks- quack quack! There are like hundreds of body-weight exercises including variations but these are the basic that one can easily do to cultivate a habit of exercising and getting fit and will hardly require 30-45 minutes of your time including a bit of stretching and warm-up exercises.

SQUATS- Squats is an exercise which is very beneficial as it works out the whole body(almost).Squats is the king of all exercises. It is a compound exercise meaning that many joints and muscles are involved in performing a squat and it is actually the easiest of all exercises as all you have to do is go down as if you are going to sit in a chair and then come up.

1. Stand tall with your feet hip width apart and your arms down by your side
2. Start to lower your body back as far as you can by pushing your hips back and bending your knees and pushing your body weight into your heels
3. As you are lowering into the squat your arms will start to raise out in front of you for balance
4. Keep a neutral spine at all times and never let your knees go over your toes
5. The lower body should be (minimum requirement) parallel with the floor and your chest should be lifted at all times not rounded.
6. Pause then lift back up in a controlled movement to the starting position.

 

Squats workout the thighs, hips and buttocks and also works on the core muscles and doing at least 10 repetitions for 3 sets in your routine will be beneficial and then you can gradually increase the repetitions.

LUNGES- Lunges are a good exercise for strengthening, sculpting and building several muscles/muscle groups, including the quadriceps (or thighs), the gluteus maximus (or buttocks) as well as the hamstrings. A long lunge emphasizes the use of the gluteals whereas a short lunge emphasizes the quadriceps. The lunge is a basic movement that is fairly simple to do for beginner athletes.

Method -

1. Stand up straight with your legs hip- width apart.

2. Step with your right foot forward for 2 to 3 feet depending upon your height and remember to keep your back straight while moving forward.

3. While stepping forward with right leg make sure that left foot's only heel has moved while the toes are still on the floor(try letting go off the floor if you want to fall)

4.While stepping forward both legs will come  to a bend at 90 degrees- pause in this position and push off by your right heel to starting position - do at least 8 reps for right leg then do the left leg.

5. For lunges do 8 reps for each leg for 2 sets and gradually increase sets as you progress.

PUSH UPS - Push ups is actually my favorite exercise as all it takes is for you to fall flat on your hands and start pressing to the floor and it gives you that beautifully sculpted upper body and the shape which can last for ages. It basically works the whole upper body from the arms, shoulders, chest, back and your torso. It is an exercise you can do anywhere any place.

Method-

1. Lie down on the floor with your hands slightly wider than shoulder width while holding your torso at arms length from the floor.

2. Next lower yourself downward till your chest touches the ground and then rise up to the starting position.

3. Try doing at least 10 reps for 3 sets and then gradually increase the number of reps as well as sets as you wish.

4. Now although the basic way to do a push up is as told above but for women they can position themselves on the knees instead of n the feet as shown in the pictures even males can do push up this way if they are over weight or are weak at the exercise. 

5. If even knee position is difficult you can do it at an angle- place your hands shoulder width apart on a table let your legs go back a certain distance from where in you can go into a push up and come up.

 

 So come on now and start exercising and get fit. Will discuss crunches, press ups, jumping jacks and mountain climbers as well as the benefits of these exercises in the next post. Till then keep moving.
This is your very own personal trainer 1103strengthfitness signing off with the bodybuilders' salute :)
Take care get fit...

The Workout Dilemma Pt2 continued

    Recap - While following any workout/ exercise program one has take into consideration the 5 components of fitness which are  

a. Cardio-Respiratory Endurance
  which is the ability of the heart to supply oxygenated blood to the working muscles for a long duration without fatigue which includes breathing, stamina and oxygen intake essential for energy regeneration.
b. Muscular Endurance which is the ability of the muscles to contract sub maximally without fatigue for a long duration i.e. your muscles' ability to work for a long period without getting tired or sore.
c. Musculo-skeletal strength i.e. the ability of the muscles to generate maximum force - ability to lift/push/pull heavy loads or generate maximum force while performing an action. The 1 rep max method to develop muscle strength in gym.
And the two remaining components of fitness that will be discussed in this post-
d. Flexibility &
e. Ideal Body Composition.
Now always remember that these 5 components are essential and one cannot neglect any of these when it comes to any fitness program & complete physical well-being.
FLEXIBILITY - Now this is the most neglected factor when someone starts or is working towards their fitness goals & also neglected in the gym even I have been guilty about neglecting my flexibility and faced problems while undergoing my personal training certification. Now normally flexibility is worked out in warm up exercises which we all ignore and cool down exercises/stretching which we lazily dismiss or just want to keep feeling that pump after serious weightlifting outside the gym. But without flexibility one actually goes backwards in fitness goals and tends to get weaker in total body well being.
Flexibility is the ability of the body to achieve full range of motion at all joints and also to maintain a smooth movement of the body and good posture.

Now to improve flexibility one has to do stretching exercises normally and should be done at the end of the workout. You can also try yoga sessions twice or thrice a week for improving flexibility and if that is not possible then one can do surya-namaskars ( sun salutations) which completely stretches and works the whole body and at least 12 sets of it every alternate day might suffice your flexibility requirements and it takes less than 15 minutes to do 12 sun salutations and can be done at home preferably in the morning.

IDEAL BODY COMPOSITION - Now what is an ideal body we all wonder well to put it blatantly it is the ratio of body fat to lean body mass i.e the percentage of body fat in you. The picture below is an indication as to how one might look at a certain body fat percentage and  it is upto you at what percentage you want to achieve and maintain. For a normal healthy male body fat percentage should be 15% or less and for girls it should be 20% or less.
Comparatively females naturally have more body fat percentage because their body functions differently and as you can see in the above pic you can notice how different the mid section looks compared to males. Now to maintain or achieve ideal body composition one has to eat right, exercise and got to sleep tight! Yes i.e Proper Nutrition, Intensive Training ( Exercise) and Rest & Recovery as a combination is called as a HYPERTROPHY TRIPOD consisting of Progressive Overload, Sports Nutrition and Rest & Recovery.
What is Proper Nutrition? Different dietitians will have different answers but the common goal for losing body fat depends on varying the intake of carbohydrates, fats and protein. Check what you eat and you will know what is making you fat and keep in mind that for maintaining a healthy body first comes protein then fats and lastly carbohydrates. Our muscles and tissues are all made up of protein; again tissues and protective layers for internal organs and hormones are made up of fat while carbohydrates normally just provide energy but then energy is also provided by proteins and fats.
WHY TO MAINTAIN IDEAL BODY COMPOSITION? to feel good,to be efficient, to be able to move easily and be flexible, has anti-ageing capabilities like if you are light you feel light and energetic while if you are heavy everything is a bit slump and lazy. So how do you wanna feel about yourself in your own skin???
Now go and exercise and remember the 5 components of fitness...

      

We all do what Arnie Says! so 1103strengthfitness your very own personal trainer is signing of with the bodybuilders' salute :)

Note- the images are from the web and donot belong to 1103strengthfitness. Some images contain the websites of their origin and can be viewed/followed for the motivational quotes and fitness advice they have to offer wherein 1103strengthfitness does not guarantee about any advice given by the other websites and is just for informational purposes and practical application is at your own will.

  

The Workout Dilemma- Pt 2 The 5 Components of Fitness

1103StrengthFitness

 THE WORKOUT DILEMMA-Pt2
     - The 5 Components of Fitness

Whenever we are talking about any physical activity, we always come up with words like fitness, health, stamina and strength. Then depending upon what you are conversing about the words like endurance, force, agility, reflexes and flexibility are used. Yes all are correct but no matter what activity you are talking about, all the above words which are qualities/characteristics are very much essential and they combined/categorized as 5 components of fitness. 

1. Cardio-respiratory Endurance. (breathing, oxygen intake,stamina and force)

2. Muscular Endurance.(Endurance, capacity to perform any activity for a long duration.)

3. Musculoskeletal/ Muscular Strength. (Strength and Force)

4. Flexibilty. (agility, reflexes, flexibility, full range of motion at all joints,etc)

5. Body Composition. (Body fat ratio; body fat & lean muscle mass)

Yes as all of us keep wondering about and talking about our own physical fitness and well these are the 5 components that we need to focus on and then chalk out our fitness program. We cannot and should not skip out on any of these 5 components of fitness. They are to be targeted and focused upon to achieve the fitness level that is must in life and believe me once you get hooked on to any fitness program you will love to try out various other programs, techniques in exercising and when you do i don't want any of us to regret that we skipped out on one or the other 5 components of fitness. 

So now let me 1103StrengthFitness brief you with the 5 components with a few experiences of my own where i have felt that " Damn! I should train on that, I can't fall behind!"

1. Cardio- Respiratory Endurance - Now cardio respiratory endurance involves breathing, your heart, your lungs your blood and your blood circulation system as a whole. Breathing comes natural but breathing during a strenuous physical activity requires conditioning of the heart, lungs and blood circulation system. Cardio-Respiratory Endurance to define is the ability of your heart to supply oxygenated blood to the working muscles so as to generate energy i.e regeneration of ATP (adenosine triphospate -energy) continuously for a long duration of time without fatigue and to develop the same you have got to do aerobic/cardio exercises and that too it should be for more than 3 minutes continuously for it to be an aerobic activity.So if you do any activity which is cardio but you do it for less than 3 minutes it's a waste so go put in more time and maintain the intensity for a longer period.

2. Muscular Endurance - Now when we talk about muscle endurance we are talking about the ability of the muscles to contract sub-maximally for a long duration of time without fatigue that means that we are working/using our muscles for a long duration and for us to be able to do any activity for a long period like for example if you are doing any chore at home or office anywhere you are not just going to move one thing and stop but you have a lot to move and in such a case it is the endurance of the muscles to work for long and not your muscles' strength. You know sometimes in my training i go out for a run or a jog and there are times when although i am not out of breath i am not able to run a lot cause the legs have slowed don and fatigue has set in- that's a regret & it shouldn't happen so muscle endurance is very essential.

Muscular Endurance was also a problem for me when i was undergoing my Kettle Bell Instructor Certification course wherein working out with kettle bells was new for me and i was all tired because of a comparatively low on muscular endurance as i was used to doing 8 rep-max 6 rep-max in the gym for building muscles and strength and felt that need to improve a lot on endurance to become strong.

 Now you can improve your muscular endurance by doing aerobic activities by working out both upper body and then lower body and back and forth like first you can do rowing and then run on a treadmill. Another way in which muscular endurance can be improved is through using light weights and performing 20-25 reps continuously of an exercise. So train long train hard to get strong.

3. Musculo Skeletal Strength - This means improving the strength of the muscles and bones with the ligaments and tendons which are connective tissues connecting muscle to bone and joints. Muscular strength is the ability to of the muscle/muscle group to generate maximum force. Pushing and pulling with a force. You can develop/improve muscle strength by lifting heavy with a rep max that means it is your ability to lift a weight as many times as you can till you can lift no more but here you should not be able to lift the weight for more than 6 times- 6 rep max, 4 rep max and the ultimate 1 rep max. So go to the gym add on as many plates as you can to that barbell and see how many times you can lift it till you find a weight you can't lift twice. Go lift!

 Will leave you at the go lift thought for now and will continue with the 2 remaining components of fitness in the next post but do not forget there are 5 components of fitness and they all combine to form one thing and that is your physical well being so work them all out. 

1103StrengthFitness your very own personal trainer signing out with the bodybuilders' salute. 

Note- the images are from the web and donot belong to 1103strengthfitness. Some images contain the websites of their origin and can be viewed/followed for the motivational quotes and fitness advice they have to offer wherein 1103strengthfitness does not guarantee about any advice given by the other websites and is just for informational purposes and practical application is at your own will.

The Workout Dilemma - Part 1

Bodybuilding and Weightlifting Exercises are the same.
In Bodybuilding more emphasis is given on sculpting
the body involving isolation movements
and compound structural movements for
strength.
While in weightlifting
the emphasis is on lifting as much heavy weight
as one can and involves the compound
structural movements and lifts
such as snatches clean & jerks.

THE WORKOUT DILEMMA- Pt 1

   The dilemma... Once you have decided that you have got to start exercising and get fit you are hit with numerous questions & doubts in your mind as to how will I get fit how will I lose weight will I stick with a plan will I find time & then you will try to Google in your office spare time as to what program might suit your fitness goals and then Google will give you millions of opinions without a specific solution towards your chaotic mindset in personal fitness goal. Well there is no specific answers as bodybuilders will swear by weights & strict diet while crossfits will ridicule the point of lifting weights if you are not domestically ( functional strength) strong enough and the powerlifters will show how puny bodybuilders are (not all) and those who run do cardio or play sports will go blank if told gyms make athletes... So much hate so much pride why the confusion??? 
  
 

 

 Now with girls it is a whole different scenario right from "Ew I don't want to look like a bodybuilder with muscles" "I just want to look slim, please!" "I will do yoga it seems easy and peaceful ( so peaceful that I might prefer sleeping after a few classes!)" "Maybe aerobics but it seems to be of my mom's era" "How about zumba that seems fun you get to dance on music and get fit!" 

 While so many things are going around in the guy/ gal's mind there are the masters of their own field the trainers the instructors and master trainers who are telling that theirs is the only thing the highest pedestal of fitness without understanding that one becomes a master or trainer in one's field only when that one has a strong liking/ passion for one's particular field which is almost not their in a beginner/new entrant or a person who wants to get back in shape.  

 That is the point which very few rare trainers/ coaches understand that you

 are still finding what will work for you in your personal fitness
goal. Will you like and stick with the program/technique is the
biggest doubt in your mind! 

  

Now with techniques all are good - bodybuilders work damn hard and have to be religiously sincere towards their diets. Powerlifters have to be mentally and insanely physically strong to lift heaviest loads.
   Crossfit requires you to have that determination and CNS( Central Nervous System) trained to have continuous loads for a long duration of time.
    While Yoga requires a true silent mind to connect with your body and achieve flexibility which unites mind body and soul.
    Yes in zumba you dance yourself to a fitter you and makes you feel good & happy but for that you require grace and good cardio health to keep on moving.
    As for sports one requires to have the skill which is developed by practice,agility and a great cardio fitness level. Martial arts and yoga are similar wherein yoga u find peace in martial arts you have to bring out that inner force to hit hard & fast.

  That means that all kinds of training requires a lot of effort and perseverance and for that you need to like what you do and you should do what you like. 
  So no matter what confusions you go through just go start something and try out everything till you find out what works for you. What you really need to keep in mind is that to get fit you require to improve stamina, flexibility, endurance, strength, good eating habits and rest. So go on and start trying stuff but start exercising and start moving that body to reveal the awesome and beautiful that you are.
   In further posts I 1103StrengthFitness will give you inputs on the 5 components of fitness which are the basic guidelines towards your fitness goals. So till then this is your very own personal trainer 1103StrengthFitness signing off with the bodybuilders' salute. :)

Note- the images are from the web and donot belong to 1103strengthfitness. Some images contain the websites of their origin and can be viewed/followed for the motivational quotes and fitness advice they have to offer wherein 1103strengthfitness does not guarantee about any advice given by the other websites and is just for informational purposes and practical application is at your own will.

A Fitness Relationship

 
A FITNESS RELATIONSHIP

 OMG am i getting fat??? Why is my weight increasing? what is this around my waist? Why can't i look the way i used to when i was in my teens? God! I need to exercise maybe i should go for walks maybe join the gym maybe eat less or how about that zumba thing or maybe some yoga or some herbal stuff , goddamn those stairs i am out of breath, why can't i just sleep off and lose weight maybe a dietitian will give me that one magical diet(cost you a million by adding variety of food for which you will have to go scavenging) and TA DA! m thin! m healthy!!?

    Well, all of us go through these voices in our head and we dream of having that perfect physique or maybe look like our favorite actor or actresses. How do i get that?  You keep wondering while fitness is a fitness industry- a business promoting fitness for money with very less connection with people who are really looking out for the motivation that one needs to become fit,where in gyms are just services run by sales executives who want to hook in as many customers as they can to all the variety of facilities they can provide and with trainers who are more about themselves than their clients. 
What one needs to realize as well as the fitness industry needs to realize is that FITNESS IS AS PERSONAL AS YOUR RELATION WITH THE ONE WHOM YOU LOVE THE MOST and just like in an relationship you have got to be honest, loyal, understanding and have heart in your own fitness as FITNESS IS A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR OWN BODY and you have got to take care of it or else you will land up in a relationship with medicines, doctors' bills,ailments and all and you will

 

 be just screwed. Would you like to date/marry a guy or gal who is screwing you right in your face? I guess not... So just get out of that lame relationship you got with being lazy and start working out!!!

"I don't have time is the grown up version of  - the dog ate my homework."

  We, mankind have been blessed with such beautiful bodies which can be aesthetically perfect with all the muscles, bones, skin, structure-a beautifully engineered work of art! Why not keep it that way? Let us all be fabulously fit and amazingly beautiful and start feeling and looking as Greek Gods and the fictional enchanting characters of Twilight. We were all born beautiful so let us be how we are

meant to be and sculpt down the round edges to reveal a beautiful you that you have been hiding... Let's start today let's EXERCISE and Get AESTHETICALLY FIT AND HEALTHY... COMPLETE BODY AESTHETICS...
Try everything do everything and enjoy the process- love yourself. Feel the heart beat with some cardio, push some weight around and show off your strength like a boss by weight lifting, dance away through Zumba or calm yourself with some yoga just go out there and discover your beautiful and amazing self...

This is your very own Personal Trainer and Motivator 1103StrengthFitness who will guide you in your journey to a fit and aesthetic you.

1103StrengthFitness signing off with the bodybuilders' salute :)



Note- the images are from the web and donot belong to 1103strengthfitness. Some images contain the websites of their origin and can be viewed/followed for the motivational quotes and fitness advice they have to offer wherein 1103strengthfitness does not guarantee about any advice given by the other websites and is just for informational purposes and practical application is at your own will.