Get it right

Each week, start with the first challenge and repeat until you have mastered it. Then proceed to the next one. Practice at your own pace and match your skill levels, but be sure to engage in at least some work each day so you can complete the progression by week end.

Here’s a great schedule that will get you the results you want.

Week 1

Fix your form:

With planks, your form either makes or breaks the exercise

says New York City celebrity trainer David Kirsch. As a rule your body should form a straight line from head to heels.

Begin by standing: Stand up straight, feet hip-width apart. Now have someone try to gently knock you off balance. Pay attention to the muscles you need to engage to stay centred:

That’s exactly how you should feel when you’re in plank

says well known trainer Jonathan Ross, a senior adviser to the American Council on Exercise.

Perfect your position: Lying on your stomach, plant your forearms firmly directly under your shoulders. Come to your toes and squeeze your glutes. Hold that pose for between 5 and 10 seconds.

Start the timer: Hold your plank for 20 to 30 seconds or longer. If you need to take a breather then lower your knees to the floor for a few seconds.

Week 2

Boost your endurance: If you feel any shoulder or lower back pain as you start to hold your static plank for longer, or if your behind creeps upwards, stop and restart.

Master 30: Hold your plank for 30 seconds without resting.

Add 15: Hold your 30 second plank, then rest in a Downward Dog position for 5 seconds, suggests Kirsch. Return to plank position and hold for another 15 seconds or more.

Hit the minute mark: Hold a 45 second plank, followed by a Downward Dog and another 15 to 30 second plank.

Go for 90: Hold your plank for at least 1 minute. Rest in Downward Dog if you need to, then hold another 30 second plank.

Week 3

Power it up: Get used to the following variations individually (do each for 1 minute). Then stack them one after another, aiming to eventually finish all three back-to-back.

Move the centre of mass: From a forearm plank, drop your right hip so your right thigh just touches the floor. Return to the starting position and drop your left hip. Then Repeat.

Test your balance point: Extend your right arm straight out in front of you, parallel to the floor, without disturbing your form. Return to centre, then extend your left arm. Repeat with your right and left legs.

Change the levels: Start in a plank on your forearms. Press up onto your right hand, then your left, so you come into a high plank position. Return to your right forearm, then your left. Repeat the pattern, alternating the starting arm. Continue until you reach your goal.

The post Ripped to the Core with Planking first appeared on Healthy Gab.

The post Ripped to the Core with Planking appeared first on Healthy Gab.

Athletes rely on interval training to improve their speed and power, but generally as part of a broader, weekly training program that also includes extended, less-intense workouts, such as long runs or bicycling.

However in the past couple of years, scientists and many sportspeople have become interested in the idea of exercising exclusively with intervals, ditching long workouts altogether.

The attraction of this approach is obvious to all. Interval exercise duration can be short, making this form of exercise a positive gift for anyone who feels that they never have enough time to exercise.
Prior to this study most studies of interval training have had limitations, such as not including a control group, being of short duration or studying only health or fitness results, not a combination of both.

For this reason fundamental and important questions have remained unanswered about just how well these short, very intense workouts really compare to traditional, endurance type training.
This led scientists at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, (who had themselves conducted many of those earlier studies of interval training), to conduct what has been recognized as the most scientifically rigorous comparison to date of super short and standard exercise programs.

They recruited 25 out-of-shape men and measuring their aerobic fitness levels and as a marker of their general health their body’s ability to use insulin properly to keep blood sugar levels regular. The scientists also biopsied the men’s muscles to examine functioning at a cellular level.
The researchers then randomly divided the men into 3 groups. One group was asked to change nothing about their current, low levels of exercise – these would then be the controls.

A second group began a typical endurance workout exercise regime, consisting of riding at a moderate pace on a stationary bike in the lab for forty five minutes, with a 2-minute warm-up and 3-minute cool down time.

The last group was tasked with interval training, using the most abbreviated workout proven to have verifiable benefits. The volunteers warmed up for 2 minutes on stationary bikes, then pedalled as hard as possible for twenty seconds; rode at a very slow pace for 2 minutes, sprinted all-out again for twenty seconds; then recovered with slow riding for another 2 minutes; pedalled all out for a last twenty seconds; then cooled down for 3 minutes. The entire workout lasted ten minutes, with only 1 minute of that time being strenuous.

Both groups completed three sessions each week for twelve weeks, a period of time that is about 2x as long as in most past studies of interval training.

By the end of the study which was published in PLOS One, the endurance group had ridden for 27 hours, while the interval group had ridden for six hours, with only 36 minutes of that time being high energy exercise.

However, when the scientists retested aerobic fitness, muscles and blood sugar control, they found that the exercisers showed almost identical gains, whether they had completed the long endurance workouts or the short, more stressful interval routine. In both groups of subjects, endurance had increased by nearly twenty percent, insulin resistance had likewise improved significantly. There were also significant increases in the number and function of certain microscopic structures in the men’s muscles which were related to energy production and oxygen use.

The control group showed no changes in health or fitness.

The result indicates that three months of concerted endurance or interval exercise can almost identically improve someone’s fitness and health.
Is that enough reason for folk who currently exercise moderately or not at all to begin interval training as their only workout choice?

Martin Gibala, a professor of kinesiology at McMaster University says:

it depends on who you are and why you exercise

If you are an elite athlete, then obviously incorporating both endurance and interval training into an overall program maximizes performance. But if you are someone, like me, who just wants to boost health and fitness and you don’t have 45 minutes or an hour to work out, our data show that you can get big benefits from even a single minute of intense exercise.

The post Can you get Away with Just One Minute of Exercise? first appeared on Healthy Gab.

The post Can you get Away with Just One Minute of Exercise? appeared first on Healthy Gab.

Other, related research has linked physical activity with maintaining both a body and mind that functions more like a young person’s. Plus, some science has shown that when it comes to premature death, a lack of exercise may put you more at risk than being obese.

American study

In the Penn State study researchers surveyed people age 65 or older about their exercise habits and then tracked them for 15 years. Nearly a third of the study participants died during that period.
Less than 10 percent of the subject’s strength trained, but those select few were 46 percent less likely to die during the study than others who were tracked during this period.

Logic might dictate that older study participants who train with weights must be in better health to begin with. But even after adjusting for body mass, chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension, and habits like activity, drinking, and smoking, lifting was still linked to a 19 percent reduced risk of death.

Strength training can keep you active and independent in your golden years, says study author Jennifer Kraschnewski, M.D. Not only does it strengthen your muscles, resulting in better stamina and balance, but it also increases your bone density.

Penn State isn’t alone in recommending weight training as one of the factors contributing to increased longevity.

European study

A recent study conducted by researchers at the MedUni Vienna help to support thr American findings.

According to Science Daily, the goal of the European study was to provide information that supported the goal of improving the fitness levels and quality of life for older people with inadequate nutrition.

According to the study’s authors, about ten percent of Austrians over the age of 65 are “frail” and another 40 percent are in the initial stages of “frailty.”

What the results of the study found is that regular strength training can increase strength in older adults and as a result, enables them to live more independently.

We know that muscle mass decreases from the age of 30. Without training, around 50 per cent of muscle mass has deteriorated by the age of 80.

Thomas Dorner of the MedUni Vienna’s Centre for Public Health told Science Daily.

In this study, the intervention group boosted their maximum hand strength by three kilograms. That is an increase of almost 20 percent on the initial measurements.

In other words, exercise is essential to good health, and especially as we age. Later in life, bone and muscle mass tends to decrease, flexibility starts to diminish and balance and agility are sometimes compromised.

The researchers also found that strength training led to a significant increase in the participant’s overall physical activity levels, mobility, quality of life and cognitive functions – as well as helping maintain bone density.

The results of both studies (American and European) indicate that strength training is an important aspect of exercise all through life and especially as we get older. So if you’re over 30 it’s time to hit the gym.

The post How Lifting Weights Helps You Live Longer first appeared on Healthy Gab.

The post How Lifting Weights Helps You Live Longer appeared first on Healthy Gab.

1. It’s a confidence booster.

Lifting weights and the attendant positive change in physiology increases self-confidence. It’s also a fantastic way to get used to the equipment at the gym and also get rid of any nervousness that first time gym users sometimes suffer from. It’s not just the unfamiliar weights and the machines that can cause even those with great confidence to feel a little intimidated. It’s also the fact that women especially may get the impression that everybody is watching them as they work out. This can really affect the quality of any workout.
The secret here is to keep at it. As you progress toward your training milestones your self-confidence will increase.  Within no time at all you’ll be master of that gym – and if people are watching you it’s probably because they want tips to get into such great shape or how to get the best of the machines on the gym floor.
And it’s not just at the gym that you’re going to feel like a million bucks – going shopping will have both men and women complimenting you and asking how you got into such great shape. Your jeans will fit better and you’ll look spectacular even if you choose just to wear a tank top or old sweatshirt. Lifting gives you the freedom to be you. You’ll feel and look great.

2.The freedom to eat those carbs.

Weight training frees you up to eat ALL the carbs. Perhaps not all, but definitely more than you’d want to eat on another type of diet and exercise regime. In fact you have to – your body needs that fuel so that you can get the most out of your weight training. With weight training it’s goodbye to limiting your carbohydrate intake so radically. Sure you’re going to want a green salad every now and then – but carbohydrates are where it’s at.
Take a look at these lunch options:
Whole grain sandwiches with lean deli meat, tuna or nut butter; vegie based soups and stews that contain lean poultry or beef; tacos with whole wheat or corn tortillas and lean poultry or meats; or a wok stir fry with rice, vegetables and tofu or seafood. Better than a green salad.
So, if you can have carbs all day on a leg day and your body will use up every drop of them to grow and maintain muscle. That’s a pretty good reason to eat carbs and get involved in weight training.

3. All the right curves in all the right places.

Lifting is going to grow lean muscle and change your shape for the better. Your clothes will fit and you’ll get those wonderful curves that you’ve always wanted. Cardio alone is simply not going to get it done. You can spend every day, all day on the treadmill and you’re simply not going to get that curvaceous figure. You still need to balance weight training with cardio – it’s really good for your health, but you really need to start lifting as well. Your butt will look fantastic and your legs are going to turn heads wherever you go. Jeans and shorts are going to be a real pleasure to wear.

4. Better calorie burning.

Weight training burns calories even once you’re done with your workout. When you stop your cardio workout that’s when the fat burning stops. Weight training burns calories and fat – and it increases your metabolism even when you’ve had the shower and are on the way home.  It’s the secret to actually burning calories even while you’re resting. Bigger and more muscle = more calorific burning.

5. Bone health.

Research has shown that women over the age of 30 start losing bone mass – And that’s a recipe for osteoporosis. Lifting weights has been shown to maintain bone mass and reduce the risk of slipping and falling. However, in order for it to be effective you have to train intensively. It doesn’t really matter what sort of weight training that you do. Suit yourself. Do squats, use the machines or even free weights – it’s all going to contribute to increasing bone density – and increase core and general body strength, which is increasingly important as you age.

6. Women are doing it for themselves.

Empowerment is one of the best reasons to start weight training today. Rather than having that man (no matter how much you love him) carry the groceries from the car or even move the fridge you can do it yourself. You’ll be amazed just how strong you are after only a few months of lifting. You don’t need the help – you just need training. You’ll never need to ask for assistance in moving house again – although it’s always nice, if it came down to the wire you could do it all yourself. And when you’re doing it you’re also continuing your training and the journey to real empowerment.

The post 6 Reasons Why Women Should Lift first appeared on Healthy Gab.

The post 6 Reasons Why Women Should Lift appeared first on Healthy Gab.