Skinny Guys Guide to Bulking

 

If you’re a skinny guy, or a “hard-gainer” this is the article for you. Many people follow diets that are considered “cookie-cutter,” meals that are written down as follows:
Meal 1: ½ cup of cottage cheese, 2 eggs, 1 scoop of whey protein, 1 cup of oatmeal Etc. etc. etc.
This is just not sufficient, especially for those of you who have a hard time gaining weight. How can you expect to gain weight when you’re eating food that is already filling in the stomach and you have to eat MORE just to gain weight? As you may or may not already know 3500 calories is equivalent to 1 pound of body fat. This is the number of calories one must eat extra throughout a week, which means increasing your caloric intake by 500 calories per day. Of course, if you’re active and do resistance training (weight lifting) you are burning those calories and need to eat even more to compensate.
Let’s say you eat 3000 calories a day, you weightlift for 1 – 1 ½ hours a day, and approximately burn 500-600 of those calories lifting and you’re maintaining your bodyweight. To gain weight you’d have to increase those calories by 300-500 depending on how fast your metabolism is.

                TIPS to Gain the Mass you Deserve!

40% of the food you eat should be liquid and 60% should be Whole foods
As you already know, drinking a tall glass of milk doesn’t fill you up as much as eating a cup of cooked oatmeal, yet you can get the same amount of calories from each. The method behind DRINKING your calories instead of eating them is that you’re able to consume more calories and still have room for more food. There are many different methods out there that use this idea such as the GOMAD diet, which translates into a Gallon of Milk a Day. This can add about 1000 calories to your daily intake of calories and range anywhere from fat-free to whole milk depending on how many more calories you need. However, if this is something that is not of interest to you for whatever reason, maybe you’re lactose intolerant, vegan, or just don’t like milk there are other methods do not worry.

                   WEIGHT GAINERS

There are numerous amounts of powdered supplements that per scoop are about 500 calories, this is also an amazing way to add calories to your meal, simply pour a scoop (or two) into your shaker bottle or put it in your oatmeal in the morning and mix it up and you instantly added a bunch of calories into your diet. It’s relatively cheap and useful. We recommend Pro Complex Gainer by ON.



                    DON’T WORRY ABOUT CLEAN FOOD
As long as you’re not eating JUST fast food or JUST candy for your entire day, don’t be concerned if you’re not eating lean chicken or beef. Go for the cheesy dishes, go for the 80% lean 20% fat ground beef! Go for the pizza with extra cheese.

If you’re a hard gainer and your caloric intake that keeps you at your bodyweight is 4000, you won’t have to worry about eating clean.

            LIFT HEAVY
This doesn’t mean lifting heavy weight with improper form; I of all people agree that if the weight is too heavy for you to maintain decent form then you better not do it. But don’t worry about doing 15-20 reps of any exercise, just go for 3-5, 4-6, or 6-8 rep ranges and lift heavy.






Lifting heavy weights with low rep ranges develops fast-twitch muscle fibers a lot more than higher rep ranges with low weight do and by nature your fast-twitch fibers are larger in size. However, make sure you do rep ranges of 8-12 on occasion.

SLEEP

A lot of us may lead busy lives and schedules, but if you don’t get at least 6-8 hours of sleep a night you’re going to set yourself for failure when it comes to being able to gain muscle mass or even be well rested enough to lift big the next day. Sleep is vital to muscle recovery as well as maintaining a healthy hormone balance that aids in muscle growth.

KNOW HOW MUCH YOU’RE EATING

Many of you I am sure do not track your macronutrient intake, do it. And for those of you who don’t know what macronutrients or macros are they are your fats, proteins, and carbohydrates that make up your food and calories. You may think you’re eating “a lot” of food, but if you eat a lot one day (i.e. 4000 calories) but the next day you eat less (i.e. 2500) you’re not getting a caloric surplus EVERY DAY, which a lot of hard-gainers need. Just as you would track your diet if you were a professional bodybuilder dieting for a competition, do it for your bulk. You’ll be able to make conscious decisions on how much food you need to eat and if you’re eating enough to gain weight.
Let’s say for example you are at work all day and you ate maybe 1000 calories between your breakfast and lunch, but you didn’t get a chance to eat anything except maybe a 500 calorie weight gainer for a snack. You get home late at night and eat a BIG dinner, like 1500 calories, which can be quite a lot of food in one sitting, so you go to bed thinking “damn I ate a lot of food today,” because your stomach was SO full. But wait, how much was your total calorie intake for the day? 1000 + 500 +1500 = 3000kCals. What if your maintenance calories, or the calories you need to maintain your bodyweight, were 3200? You’re actually eating LESS then you need to maintain your bodyweight and thus end up losing weight.
To avoid this, be conscious of your food intake. For those with insane metabolisms that struggle to gain weight, try bringing food with you to work or school. When I was in High School trying to gain muscle mass for wrestling and track, I would bring 3-5 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to school and would eat them throughout the day whenever I was hungry or haven’t eaten in a while. This is an easy way to get in 500-750 calories extra a day and I would eat the sandwiches on top of eating school lunch, dinner, and breakfast. You can do a similar thing by preparing food before starting your day.

DON’T STRESS

Be consistent, sleep well, track your food, lift heavy, and don’t stress.
Stressing about what you’re eating and if you’re gaining weight will keep you from focusing on your goal. Don’t be scared to gain some body fat along the way of your bulk. If you have a target weight in mind, reach for it and get it. There is always enough time in your life to get “shredded,” but make sure you pack on the muscle first.

Lastly, don’t weigh yourself every day… You’ll end up discouraging yourself or giving yourself false hope when you instantly see your weight jump up 5lbs or jump down 10. If you’re going to weigh yourself, weigh yourself every 2 weeks and do it exactly the same each time. Wake up, go to the bathroom, wear the same clothes (just underwear or naked) and step on the scale and write it down. If you notice you haven’t gained weight in the past 2 weeks of you increasing your calories, then increase them some more and continue to train hard.
Good luck, sleep well train hard.

 

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THE BENT OVER DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISE

 

 

THE BENT OVER DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISE

 

 The majority of people perform the bent over dumbbell lateral raise INCORRECTLY, translating into wasted efforts in the gym. This is indeed a pity because the bent over dumbbell lateral raise is one of the best exercises to “braai” the rear deltoid meat. I have rarely seen someone performing this movement correctly. Additionally, it is also a dying exercise because people (and that includes beginners) prefer to work rear deltoids on the cable crossover low pulley or on the reverse of the pec deck machine. In the latter instance, they also perform the movement incorrectly and end up working other muscles rather than rear deltoids.

 

 THE MISTAKES THAT TRAINEES DO ON THIS EXERCISE:

 

 • NOT BENDING ENOUGH TO ISOLATE THE REARS DELTOIDS.

 It is recommended to keep your torso nearly at the horizontal or at a very slight incline as you would do on bent-over barbell rows. It may help to lie on a flat or low incline bench. Keeping the chest constantly on the pad of the bench also helps eliminate the tendency of moving up the torso as the dumbbells move up. I have also tried keeping my forehead against a stationary object like the edge of a bench throughout the set to ensure minimal use of body English. Sometimes I sit at the end of a bench, bend my torso and keep it firmly against my legs. This variation, however, impedes my breathing so I don’t use it. I prefer the standing variation or leaning against a bench.

 

• The MAJOR mistake is BRINGING UP THE DUMBBELLS IN THE INCORRECT PLANE. The dumbbells and the deltoids should be in a straight line. Lifting the dumbbells too far to the rear is the most common mistake and can often be blamed on the use of excessive weight. Use a weight that will allow you to raise the dumbbells in the correct plane.

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TURN YOUR BICEPS INTO CANNONBALLS

DARK SECRETS OF MUSCLE

 

 TURN YOUR BICEPS INTO CANNONBALLS WITH “BARBELL DRAG CURLS”

 

 This is an exercise I thought I serendipitously “invented” 14 years ago. I was at the gym and trying to attempt a “personal best” in the barbell curl. Personal best at that time was only 40lbs for 10 difficult reps with my pencil-sized biceps. I grabbed a 60lb barbell, knowing that I had to open the “body English” dictionary and unknowingly I ended up pulling my elbows up as if I was doing an upright barbell row. I liked the feeling in my biceps and ended up doing more and more. People were looking at me funny in the gym and the next day I felt sore as hell. For the next couple of months I performed this “curl” religiously until I opened up a muscle magazine (remember at that time there wasn’t yet much computers in households, let alone internet, facebook etc) and learned that I unfortunately wasn’t the inventor of this exercise. Nevertheless, it helped me add mass to the biceps and is one of my secret exercises.

 

HOW TO PERFORM IT

 

 • Stand upright and keep the chest up and full

 • Grab a barbell with an underhand grip and keep elbows back

 • Drag the bar up to the abdomen as you push your elbows behind your torso, as if you are doing a barbell row while standing upright.

 

NOTES ON TECHNIQUE

 

• I find that a shoulder-width grip is the best and most comfortable on my wrists.

• The movement can be performed in a Smith Machine although I recommend using a barbell

• It helps to maintain the contraction for a second at the top of the movement

• Feel free to experiment and don’t go strictly by the books: I am personally comfortable with a slight forward bend which for me completely eliminates any trap or delt involvement.

 

HOW TO USE THE EXERCISE:

 

• As a stand-alone exercise in your biceps routine, followed by alternate barbell curls and a good preacher curl.

• In a “rep alternate” manner: One rep you perform a barbell curl and the next rep you perform a drag curl. This is one of my favourite technique, that I use on chest (press and flyes) or shoulders (side and front laterals) for instance

 

A DARK SECRET (READ CAREFULLY)

 

• At the end of a set of conventional barbell curls when you attain failure, do not let go of the bar. You may not be able to perform another full rep of curl but there is still “juice that you can squeeze out” in your biceps. Instead of calling it a set, perform a few drag curls until you cannot move the bar a millimetre. If your grip failed at the end of your normal barbell curl set, release the bar for a few seconds and immediately grab it and rep out drag curls.

 

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Planning Your Training Frequency

Timing – is everything. Whether you are sold on heavy weight and low reps, or less weight and more reps, if your training frequency is not planned with the same scrutiny as other aspects of your routine, you may be wasting time unnecessarily. With a little insight into the factors affecting the optimal timing of your workouts, you may just experience more success than you believed you could.
Knowing exactly when your muscles need to be trained again after the previous workout is difficult to judge with absolute certainty. Recent research in the area of muscle damage and recovery is showing results that may surprise you. Science is now showing us things that may change the way you train forever!
When you lift weights, you cause damage to your muscles. This is often referred to as “microtrauma”. Microtrauma involves the tearing and shearing of delicate protein structures within your muscle cells. This may sound bad but in reality it is necessary for the initiation of growth after your workout.
Microtrauma, as expected, requires a delay before the next training at the time when the muscles back to normal. That is the logic of using “srednestaistichesky ‘coach when he tells you to relax, sometimes even a whole week before a new study of the same body part. But new research shows us that the delay before the next workout until the muscles “fully recovered” is not desirable!
The results showed that muscle mass increases were greater in the three workout per week group, compared to the one workout per week group. In addition, the strength increases in this group were on average 40% greater! So what does this mean to you? It means the fear of overtraining, which sometimes verges on paranoia, may be preventing you from getting the most gains you can in the gym.
So science is telling us that training a muscle group approximately every 48 hours may be more effective than training it once or twice per week. If you train your whole body three times per week with your current workout routine it might take several hours to complete. I doubt many of us would have time for that. Does this mean you can’t reap the benefits of more frequent training? Once again, new research provides us with some answers.
In a study performed at Montclair State University5 researchers investigated the effect of a single set vs. a multiple set routine on increasing upper body strength. They had the subjects perform either one set or three sets of bench press, incline dumbbell press and flat dumbbell flies using ten reps, three times per week for 12 weeks. This kind of study has been done before but this one is particularly valuable because it involved previously “trained” subjects. This is significant because untrained subjects will usually respond positively to virtually any training routine.
Just because a training strategy works for beginners doesn’t mean it will work for experienced lifters. These researchers found that doing a single set of each exercise was equally effective as doing three sets of the same movements in increasing the subjects one repetition maximum (1RM) on bench press.
The take home message is that you needn’t do more than a single work set to achieve the same relative gains of doing multiple sets. This makes incorporating a whole body workout into your schedule much more feasible.
A sample whole body workout might look like this:

10-15 minute warmup on bike or treadmill
Squats, 1-2 warm up sets and 1 work set of 6-8 reps
Leg curls, 1 work set of 6-8 reps
Bench press, 1 warm up and 1 work set of 6-8 reps
Chins or pull ups, 1 work set 6-8 reps. (Add weight as necessary)
Dips, 1 work set of 6-8 reps. (Add weight as necessary)
Seated rows, 1 work set of 6-8 reps
Lying tricep extensions, 1 work set of 6-8 reps
Preacher curls, 1 work set of 6-8 reps
You will notice that this type of training relies heavily on compound exercises. This is necessary to keep the number of exercises down. Don’t worry about this however; compound exercises should be the foundation of any muscle/strength building program

 

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Training / Workout

Training / Workout

Training should be comprehensive. It should be constructed so that you could add myofibrillar hypertrophy to the different mechanisms of effects on the muscles. Have you not forgotten, dear reader, what is myofibrils?
There is not enough only a lowrepeated mode of muscle contractions. In continuation of the set-time the residence of muscle cells under stress should vary quite significantly from 20 to 120 seconds. By working in a wide range of reps, you stimulate myofibrillar hypertrophy (mainly in fastreducing muscle fibers), as well as sarcoplasmic and mitochondrial hypertrophy (in all types of fibers). So you can gain a maximal muscle growth, although the increase in power rates will be slightly lower than those achieved during lowrepeated modes of muscle contraction.
In practice, it should look like this: in your training you are using a whole arsenal of effective exercises, doing from 4 to 30 repetitions. This may be different versions of the pyramids and halfpiramids, as well as the use of a certain number of repetitions at different workouts, or in different microcycle. Of course, to give more accurate recommendations to suit everyone, it is simply impossible. The development of such programs is “piecework” that requires a compulsory registration of all the anatomical, functional and domestic factors. But it is just the tip of the iceberg.
For the extreme development of muscle mass, or exactly, to draw up a training program, you need to know the microscopic structure of muscle tissues. We should imagine what subcellular elements occupy the largest amount, to understand to what extent they are able to hypertrophy, as well as you should be confirmed by practice in specific methods of development of hypertrophy of these subcellular elements, resulting a muscle growth andan increase in general.
You should also take into consideration the integrity of the human body as a bio-system and the impossibility of absolute specification of techniques and training methods. This means that the muscle fiber works as a whole, and the specificity of training effects on these or other subcellular structures is relative. We can only speak of the preferential involvement of any structures in this mode of muscular work. By itself, this fact has a positive role: training one, we simultaneously develop another. Besides, it does not allow to throw away and provides an opportunity to focus on the most important.
Let me remind you what we have talked about above, and I`ll increase our knowledge of the muscles.
The bulk of subcellular elements of the sarcomere (muscle cells) occupy the myofibrils, mitochondria and sarcoplasm – about 20 to about 30% of each sarcomere. Glycogen stores are 3-4%, roughly the same take intramuscular triglycerides.
Up to 15% of all the muscle amount is accounted foranintramuscular interfiber capillary network, and another 6-8% for the connecting frame of muscle tissue.
We are interested in methods of hypertrophy of thefibrillar and mitochondrial apparatus and an increase of sarcoplasm. What overcellular and subcellular structures will be developing simultaneously with the application of the proposed methods, we will also determine.
So, you should be aimed at the development of maximum hypertrophy fibrillary and mitochondrial apparatus during the first phase of training. The most effective model for the moment, which is experimentally verified, looks like as follows.
Taking into consideration the very tough and hard work virtually in basic exercises, the split is made by dividing the body into four parts. The break between workouts is two days. The maximum number of exercises for one train takes 6, the maximum number of sets to the major muscle groups is 4-5, for small 3-4. Of course, it is only about the working sets, you should do them until muscular failure.
Perhaps the principle of forced reps is used at each second or third training of specific muscle groups. For maximal hypertrophy of myofibrillar apparatus is used a work with superheavy weights of 4-7 reps x 1-2 sets of basic exercises. The number of exercises for major muscle groups is 2-3, for small 1-2.
The negative phase of the movement takes about 1-2 seconds at one hundred percent control of lowering the shell. After a pause at the bottom, an overcoming phase lasts 3 seconds and is committed to fully extended in the working joints.
For the extreme development of the mitochondrial apparatus is commonly used one heavy exercise in two working sets. But the mode of exercise should have the following conditions: a) the voltage developed by the muscle group,does not interrupted even for a second, and b) neccessity of reducing peak in 2 seconds at the point of maximal reduction of muscle group. Worked muscle group should be maximal ischemic, which is achieved by doing slow reps in the set.
Overcoming phase during one repetition should not take less than 4 seconds, but avoiding the development of reflex-hypertensive syndrome should not exceed 10 seconds. Negative (avoiding) phase takes 4-5 seconds. Total time for a set is 45 seconds per muscle group with a predominance of “white” muscle fibers, and 120 seconds per muscle group with a predominance of “red” muscle fibers. If the prevalence of some types of muscle fibers can not be identified, the optimal run-time for a set will be 60-90 seconds.
Severe hypertrophy of the mitochondria, achieved in conditions of severe hypoxia, provides a huge gain in muscle mass and strength, providing an increased number of muscle energy (ATP) at the training and generously providing a muscle growth during the rest, only manage to throw a plastic and energy material! Use a diet for this particular, which we have reviewed in Part II.
The adaptive ability of the body reaches its peak after three weeks of work in this mode as the use of nutritsional (that is, on food intake) program and the implementation of training objectives. The continued existence in the constant increaseof the intensity effects on the digestive and neuro-muscular system can lead to an overstretching of adaptive systems of the body and even to the disruption of adaptation.
In addition, after three weeks of extra heavy work begins to suffer the trophic of muscle tissue, and a delivery of nutrients may be reduced.
Although, we paid no attention to another important component of the sarcomere – sarcoplasm. So for ten days, for which also are accounted some dietary changes, we change the training regime.
Our new split now divides the body into two parts. Trainings are held every other day. We do on the large muscle groups 6 sets, on small – 4. The number of repetitions- 20-30, working weights are 70-80% of the maximal weight you can lift 10 times.

This type of training helps to increase the maximal sarcoplasm, the accumulation of glycogen and intramuscular triglycerides, and has a very positive effect on the trophic muscle, contributing to the discovery of a huge number of reserve capillaries. After this, the whole cycle is repeated many times as necessary.
Training methods, traditionally used in bodybuilding, typically leads to hypertrophy of individual subcellular structures sarcomere. Generously spiced with pharmacological stimulants of protein synthesis, these techniques lead to a sharp, highly skewed unphysiological imbalance in the microstructure of the muscle spindle, so that even the simple retention of muscle mass is an extremely difficult task. Not talking about progress!
In today’s “pro” this imbalance is reflected in a significant shift in the direction of either fibrillar or sarcoplasm ™-Ceska hypertrophy. On biopsy, the proportion of myofibrillar or sarcoplasmic reaches 50-60% in them.
With the help of mathematical methods of forecasting, it was calculated that the complex method of influence on the muscle structure allows bodybuilders to achieve a 50% increase of the existing muscle mass. The probability of the forecast is 87%.
However, such a high percentage of “hits” is possible only if all components of success: an appropriate lifestyle, training modes, adequate recovery, and dietary practices. It is unlikely that all this can be done at an amateur level, where a man is busy with something else besides training and caring for a championship appearance. But you can still try and an experience of many athletes shows that outlined technique is one of the most promising at the moment.
And what about the steroid users? We can assume they are using the outlined technique plus steroids. Very often they are faced with the phenomenon, which among amateurs of strength training is called “steroid plateau.” This refers to the onset of resistance (insensitivity) to the use of drugs, which can not be corrected even with an ncreasing dose.
The causes of athletes’ output to steroid plateau” does not have pharmacological, physiological or biochemical, and organizational and methodical nature. One reason is the lack of energy, plastic and vitamin and mineral material, that is a wrong organized nutrition with the increased capacity of the organism as a result of steroid use. As a result, these possibilities are not used, or are not implemented in full.
You see, dear reader? If they are not taking steroids, it will be very difficult for a bodybuilder to find adequate for his body training routine, diet, and a necessary recovery mode, in case of steroid use, the system becomes almost unmanageable.
What analogy can we lead here? Imagine that you go on a very narrow plank across the chasm. Somehow you have adapted to the height, you almost do not feel dizzy, you keep the balance. And if you sit a person of your weight on the shoulders or even heavier? It will be much harder for you to keep a balance, and a plank will vibrate more than ever before.
And there is another annoying trait in the anabolic steroids , it is difficult to get out of them. No less difficult than of smoking or drinking alcohol. By the way, quite often people who “tied up” with steroids, start using drugs. The reason? Depression, which almost always accompanies a wean from steroids.
And not only the cessation of steroid use can lead to addiction, but also the reception of these hormones can cause a serious drug addiction.
To such conclusion came the experts of the State University of New Jersey and Massachusetts. The object of their observations are 227 ex- athletes and bodybuilders. 21 of them (10%) in the past got used to the anabolic or androgenic steroids.
When they are asked what prompted the get to “serious” drugs, the participants of the research answered the same way. In 90% of cases the cause was excessive irritability and insomnia – a standard side effects of steroids.
So there is another reason to exclude pharmaceutical support from the “set of tools for success.”
I guess that’s enough of “horror stories”? Ah, if indeed ” horror stories.” Alas, these are the real facts. Those facts, about what people are deliberately silent, disseminating and promoting the AU. Those facts, about what athletes don`t know and have been succumbed to the propaganda. There are a lot of theoretical information and practical examples in order the “chemists” finally stopped harping about the “baseless antisteroid hysteria.” Many reputable scientists have devoted years of their lives to studying these issues and have objective scientific data.
Now you can on the other hand look at those who offer you the AU. Do they still seem honest and respectable people? Forget about fairness when you are talking about money, their money. Think whether is it worth to have a short-term effect spoiled instead of being healthy? I think not.
But what is a solution from this situation?
The solution is in the natural training.
Here, the reader, we get to the end of this book. Nothing is missed? Of course, we have lost. There are so many information about bodybuilding, many Internet sites is devoted to it, an ocean of information occurs almost every day.
But you should clearly define a policy in this ocean. The reefs of harmful prejudices, “Bermuda Triangle” is a dangerous delusion, treacherous currents of attractive offers of the ‘miracle’ drugs, the storms of disbelief in myself, I hope, a kind of sailing directions in the form of this book will help you successfully overcome all this

 

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Increase Bench Press by doing Push Ups

 

One of the most neglected types of training for the average gym goer is explosive strength. Almost everyone is taught to lift weights with a “slow and controlled movement”. However, in all sports athletes need to be explosive. When a baseball player swings a bat, when a soccer player kicks the ball, or when a boxer troughs a punch they need explosive strength. If your goal is to get really strong, explosive speed training is one of the most important elements. Powerlifters / Olympic weight lifters do a lots of light weight explosive speed training exercises. Unlike a lot of bodybuilders and gym buffs who do mainly slow and controlled training and pump out reps until failure.
With the bench press a lot of lifters have a sticky point a few inches above their chest. If you have ever spotted someone who gets stuck in a bench press you will often find that when you just barely assist them past this sticky point they can then finish the rep on their own. With proper explosive speed training you will be able to lift the weights more forcefully and blast past your sticky point and set some new personal strength records.
Push-ups are a great exercise to develop explosive speed training for the bench press. When you do a push up you lift approximately 60% of your bodyweight. And unlike weight training exercises, you can lift more explosively by doing push ups. I am sure that you have seen people do “clap your hands” push ups before. Where they push up so fast that they actually lift their upper body off the floor and clap their hands in between each rep.
This is an awesome explosive strength building exercise. It will take some getting used to. I suggest that you start with just regular push ups and do them as quickly and explosively as you can before trying a “clap your hands” push up (you don’t want to fall flat on your face).
Westside Barbell Club (one of the most famous powerlifting clubs) uses 8 sets of 3 reps using 50% of their 1 rep max for dynamic bench press training. These are not just numbers that they just randomly picked, but what they found to be the most effective for building bigger bench presses. This type of training is for developing force and speed. Not absolute strength. They do not train to failure or use heavy weights on this day.

For the push up routine you would do 8 sets of 3 reps with 1 minute rest in between each set. Each rep should be done as fast as possible. If you can, clap your hands in between each rep, this will ensure that you are using maximum speed and explosiveness. You can do this routine once a week at home on an off days from your regular gym workouts.
When doing the push ups keep your hands just a bit wider then shoulder width. Try to keep your elbows tucked in by your sides at about a 45 degree angle from your torso, don’t let them flare out to the sides. This will place more stress on the triceps.
Actually clapping your hands is not necessary, the main thing is to do the push ups so explosively that your hands actually lift off the floor. I find doing the push ups with your hands on an exercise mat or thick carpet helps to absorb some of the shock when coming back down.
Make sure to warm up before doing this workout. Do some arm circles, and a couple slower tempo sets of push ups to warm up your chest, shoulders, and triceps. Them move right into the 8 sets of 3 reps of explosive push ups.
Give this push up routine an honest effort for a few months. It will only take about 20 minutes once a week and you will be on your way to setting some new personal strength records

 

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Types of pull-ups on the bar and their impact on the specific groups of muscles

 

Pull-ups are one of the most effective exercises on your back muscles.
Each of the variants of pull-ups have their own features. That is, the loaded muscles are the same, but the accents are placed differently. So, we load: muscles of the forearm, biceps, shoulder muscle, triceps long head, chest and latissimus, trapezius, jagged, circular muscles of the back, back head of deltoid and rhomboid muscle.

Pull-ups with a middle straight grip

The basic accent: the back muscles and forearm flexors, especially the humeral and biceps.
Performance: take the bar with a grip, it should be equal to the width of the shoulders. Hang a little with as aqgging back and with the crossed legs. Pull up, bringing the shoulders together and trying to touch the horizontal bar with the top of the chest. At the lowest point for the best stretch of the back muscles fully straighten the arms.

Pull-ups with the middle reverse grip

The basic accent: the latissimus of the dorsi and the biceps.
Performance: grip, equal with the width of the shoulders, only palms to yourself. Pull up, following the same rules, but focus on tapping the shoulders back and down at the beginning of the movement.

Pull-ups with the wide grip to the chest

The basic accent: paired round, the top of the latissimus, trapezoidal.
Performance: take the bar with the grip, it should be approximately equal to the bench grip with a barbell, grasping this shell with the big fingers on the top – it’s better when you want to stretch the latissimus dorsi muscles. Without straining the biceps and bringing the shoulders together, pull up, trying to touch the horizontal bar with the top of the chest muscles. Sag in the back and look straight up. Lingering a little at the top, return to the starting position.

Pull-ups with the wide grip above the head

The basic accent: paired round, top and middle of the latissimus, trapezoidal.
Performance: the width of the  grip is the same as in the previous exercise. Pulling up, do not sag in the back, straighten the legs and keep them in same line as the body. Elbows during the movement should be aimed straight down, not back.

Pull-ups with the narrow straight grip

The basic accent: the bottom of the latissimus, serratus and humeral muscles.
Performance: hang up on the bar, holding it, as in the photo. Sagging in the back,pull up, trying to touch the bar with the bottom of the chest.

Pull-ups with the narrow reverse grip

The basic accent: the bottom of the latissimus, biceps.
Performance: take the bar  with the reverse grip, possibly connecting the ribs with the palms together. Hang on the straight arms, sag your back and look at the wrists. Pulling up, focus on the flawless tapping of the shoulders back and bringing the shoulder-blades together. Approaching the top point, try to sag your back harder and to touch the horisontal bar with the lower part of chest muscles.

Pull-ups wih the neutral grip along the horisontal bar

The basic accent: the bottom of the latissimus, serratus and humeral muscles..
Performance: take the bar, putting a fist in front of another. Pull up, sagging actively the back and trying to touch the bar with the  bottom of the pectorals. At the top point takes away the head from the horizontal bar – with each repetition to another side. From the set to set change the position of the hands.

Partial pull-ups with the middle reverse grip

The basic accent: two-headed muscle of the shoulder.
Performance: take the bar with the middle reverse grip and pull up evenly in half. In this position focus the body at the straight angle to the floor and bend your hands, trying to bring the clavicles closely to the horisontal bar.

 

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Short Arm Workout

Weighted Pull Ups 3 x 6-10
Barbell Curls 3 x 6-10
Hammer Curls 3 x 8-12
Weighted Dips 4 x 6-10
Close Grip Bench Press 3 x 6-10

Tricep Kickbacks 3 x 8-12
Be sure to use strict form on all exercises.
Take a 60-90 second rest between sets.
You can perform this workout much quicker by implementing supersets combining tricep and bicep exercises e.g (weighted pull ups immediately followed by weighted dips)

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Short Leg Workout

Squats 4 x 6-10 Leg Press 3 x 12-15
Leg Curls 3 x 12-15

Leg Extensions 3 x 12-15
Standing Calf Raises 4 x 12 
Legs tend to grow more at higher rep ranges, so keep your reps +10, use good form and reasonable weight and sit back and watch your wheels grow.

 

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Diet Plan and Exercise Routine

When making a diet plan, there is need for you to know the one that suit your body type (that works for your body system). From my experience of working with different clients, I discovered that the diet plan that helps client A to loss weight can not help client B to loss weight (either its so slow breaking down their body fat, or its not working for them at all).

For example, some client took Green Tea and it didn’t work for them at ALL… while others did and it worked PERFECTLY! , some did Water and Okro therapy program and they were happy losing a lot of weight, while few others did it faithfully and it didn’t work for them, instead their skin became very clean and fine with their sweat pores opening well.

Here is a sample of your weight loss time table with exercise fixture:

Time:	6:00-8:00A.M	12:00-3:00PM	6:30P.M
Days	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	No Snack
Sunday	Water /Ginger tea	Ofada Rice or Brown Rice with goat meat sauce/skinless chicken sauce	Quaker Oats/Fresh tomatoes (chew)	Take a walk
Monday	Exercise:30min Vigorous Workout-cucumber	Sea food/fish pepper soup	Carrot/orange/Apple	Light workout  &     water
Tuesday	Skim milk and wheat Bread	Beans (mash your fish inside).	Water Melon	Light workout  &          water
Wednesday	Exercise:30mins circuit training -Ginger tea	Wheat meal with Ogbono/vegetable soup	Fruit / onion, Garlic Ginger pepper soup/Grape or tomatoes	Take a walk
Thursday	Exercise: Take a walk:Quaker Oats	Moi-moi /Agidi/pap/tuo	Soy Beans/cucumber	Light workout  &          water
Friday	Wheat bread & Skim milk	Unripe plantain  with vegetable/beans	Fruit /mushrooms/cabbage
Saturday	Exercise: 30mins or more for Aerobics Dance Workout-Mixed fruit -salad	Cray fish, prawn with red & green pepper source for sweet potatoes	Apple(chew don’t blend)	Take a walk

Please friends, Note: According to research, Tomatoes have been found to reduce inflammation and water retention in the body, as well as reversing leptin resistance. Leptin is a type of protein which helps to regulate metabolic rate and appetite, so our bodies rely on it to shed those extra pounds.

Please help yourself by being sincere with your Diet and Exercise programs and avoid eating late at night, stay away from meal from 6:30P.M.(naija work can make you get home late  at night especially in Lagos State. YES!)…eat fruit to bed and start self-discipline to eating late at night. Remember! Avoid sweetened drinks.

Hmmm! Its my birthday cake! One day fat consuming day won’t change a thing you would say, but Keep fit 9ja advises that “be careful for nothing but in everything”.
With these we say,
stay fit, remain healthy and eat wisely.
Wilson E.O
Certified Fitness, sport & Health Management Coach.
Keepfit9ja@gmail.com

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Weight training is the perfect way to boost your metabolism and torch fat, so it’s no wonder strong is the new slim

Weight training is the perfect way to boost your metabolism and torch fat, so it’s no wonder strong is the new slim

 

 

Thanks to the success of female athletes like Jessica Ennis and Victoria Pendleton taking the Olympic Games by storm last year, we're seeing a huge rise in women taking to the weights room in order to sculpt a strong and lean physique. If you're new to lifting weights, though, we're here to help, and we've enlisted the expertise of powerlifter Evelyn Stevenson, too.

‘Powerlifting is great for women as it encourages them to weight train correctly, using the three compound lifts to build overall strength,’ says Evelyn, who works as a personal trainer when she’s not competing. ‘It allows us to gain tone yet still keep a feminine appearance by reducing body fat and increasing muscle mass, which is a good thing – a pound of muscle alone burns nine calories a day while fat only burns two.’

Slim and strong
The great thing about powerlifting is that the moves target every muscle group, including the core. There are no specific abdominal exercises, but each move switches on your core and uses your abs to accompany the major muscle groups, teaching them to work in conjunction with the rest of the body. Because this is how you use your body in everyday life, it’s a far more useful way to train your abs than isolating your mid-section.

Training all your muscle groups helps to rev up your fat burn, not just while you work out but for hours later, too, thanks to its effect on your metabolism. ‘As well as getting you in shape, powerlifting increases skeletal strength and helps to reduce the risk of osteoporosis,’ adds Evelyn.

Don’t fight the power
 A nice side effect to building your muscles? Supreme confidence. ‘As a woman, I find powerlifting so empowering,’ Evelyn says. ‘Being strong makes everyday life easier, too. It also makes the weights room seem a little less intimidating! I feel confident knowing I can train with a structure and understanding of my goals – something that powerlifting taught me.’
When you notice yourself getting stronger, you might also start to care less about the number on the scales, and more about the number on the weights. Measuring your progress this way can really feel like a huge achievement. ‘You don’t have to train solely for your one rep max, but you can use powerlifting to structure you gym workout and inspire a long-term goal of increasing strength,’ says Evelyn.

How to do it
Olympic barbells used for powerlifting in a gym are usually 20kg, but you can often find adjustable bars that weigh much less if these are too heavy for you. Gradually increase the weight you lift until you can manage the barbell. Make one of the powerlifts – that’s either the squat, bench press or deadlift – your main move in each workout, using as heavy a weight as you can while maintaining good form. Then you can perform the remaining moves with slightly less resistance to make up the rest of your workout. Three workouts a week will target your whole body, burning fat and strengthening both your muscles and bones.

                                      Your powerlifting workout
Try these workouts by Evelyn Stevenson to kick off your new body. Separate your powerlifting workouts into three weekly sessions consisting of five different moves, including your main powerlifting move. These should challenge you, but not prove impossible to complete. Finish performing every set of each move before moving onto another exercise. Take 60 to 90 seconds’ rest between each set.


Day 1
Main lift: squat (as heavy as possible with good form)
Plus, the following moves at around 70% of the maximum weight you’d usually manage:
Bench press
Straight-leg deadlift
Barbell row
Step-up

Day 2
Main lift: bench press (as heavy as possible with good form)
Plus, the following moves at around 70% of the maximum weight you’d usually manage:
Squat
Overhead press
Straight-leg deadlift
Deadlift

Day 3
Main lift: deadlift (as heavy as possible with good form)
Plus, the following moves at around 70% of the maximum weight you’d usually manage:
Bench press
Barbell row
Step-up
Overhead press

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7 Workout Habits You Should Drop Now 

 

Are you spending hours working out every week, and not getting the results you want? Chances are you might have a bad habit or two when it comes to exercising. Never fear, there’s a quick fix for even the most ingrained workout no-nos. Check out these 7 workout habits you should drop: Not only will ditching these help you lose the pounds, they will help you become a more efficient exerciser.

1) The elliptical. 

’m not a fan of the elliptical. Not only is it the most boring piece of equipment in the gym, it is also extremely ineffective. First off, the elliptical doesn’t use a natural body motion to work your body. Workouts that use natural motions like running, bending, or jumping are much more effective at toning muscles. Sure, the gliding motion of the elliptical burns calories, but that’s about it. It is also easy to slack off on the elliptical. With the treadmill you at least have to keep up with the pace you set. On the elliptical you start off with guns blazing, and 10 minutes later you are crawling along like a turtle. You are much better off doing a 20-minute cross training circuit (burpees, jumping rope, jumping squats, etc.) than 45 minutes of slogging along on the elliptical. If you are looking for another low impact exercise, try the rowing machine. This will get your heart rate up, and also work your upper body and back.

2) Working out for long periods of time at a moderate pace. 

When it comes to working out, slow and steady does NOT win the race. Maximize your time, people! Instead of working out for an hour at an easy-to-moderate intensity level, step it up a notch. Challenge yourself to 30 minutes of nonstop, intense exercise. You can take 15- to 30-second breaks, but move quickly from one workout to the next. Give it 100% for 30 minutes, instead of 75% for an hour. Need ideas for shorter, high intensity workouts? Check out 15 Minutes to Change Fat to Muscle.

3) Lollygagging. 

You know that girl at the gym who’s always fixing her hair in the mirror? Don’t be her. Come to the gym with a time frame and a plan. This means no wandering around, no texting your boyfriend in between reps. Come with a set workout to complete, limiting your water breaks to specific points in your circuit for a designated amount of seconds. If this means writing down your regimen, great! Tattoo it to your arm! Whatever! Make the most of your time. Get in, get out. No one likes a gym rat.

4) Too much cardio. Too little strength training. 

 But cardio burns more calories, right? Not so fast, lady. Sure, an hour on the treadmill gives you that instant satisfaction of burning 400 calories. Or so that little blinking screen says. A quick strength training or cross training session, however, will get your heart rate up, burn calories, and develop your lean muscle mass. Building muscle means that those muscles are able to work throughout the day burning more calories when you aren’t working out.

5) Hydrating with sports drinks. 

Sports drinks may give you a boost, but are full of sugar and calories. During any given daily workout, hydrating with plain ol’ water should do the trick just fine. If you feel tired during your workout, try fueling before. Eating a healthy snack 45 minutes before your workout can give you more energy, and allow you to skip the Gatorade. Try some almond butter on toast.

6) Doing the same exercises over and over again. 

When you do the same workout routine over and over, your body gets used to it and it becomes easier. The Stairmaster might have been challenging at one point, but pretty soon your muscles become familiar with that motion. Your body only uses half the energy to complete this task that at one point had you huffing and puffing your way to the locker room. Mix it up. By changing your workouts daily you will trick your body into working harder and burning more calories. It will also save you from boredom! Take that new kickboxing class or try one of my workouts!

7) Going it alone.
 Working out alone can be great. It gives you time to clear your mind, listen to music, and feel the burn. However, sometimes it takes a workout buddy to hold you accountable. Working out with a partner not only makes it more likely that you’ll work out, it makes most people try harder than they would on their own. Your partner can cheer you on to finish that last half mile or to finish those last four deadlifts. And let’s not forget the power of good old-fashioned competition. If your friend is doing 50 lunges, don’t you suddenly feel inspired to do 51?
Now that you’ve dropped those pesky habits, try a new workout: 4 Fitness Trends You Need to Know About

so register perfect fitness routines.
Email:perfectfitnessroutines@gmail.com.

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Give your bottom a natural lift with this bum-toning workout

Give your bottom a natural lift with this bum-toning workout

Want a firm bum in a flash? Try a few of our favourite glute exercises and feel the burn. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps of each move, taking 30-60 seconds rest between each set. Adjust the weight used according to your ability.

 
Glute bridge
-Lie on the floor with legs bent, feet close to your bottom hip-width apart.
-Lift your hips up off the ground as high as you can.
-Lower and repeat.
Top tip: To make this move harder, keep one leg in the air for a full set, then repeat with the other leg raised.

 

Squat
-With feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider, hold a dumbbell in each hand or rest a barbell behind the top of your shoulders, holding it in place throughout.
-Bend at the hips and knees to lower your bottom towards the floor behind you as low as possible, keeping knees in line with toes and heels firmly on the floor.
-Push up through the heels to extend back to the start.
Safety tip: Keep your gaze straight ahead, shoulders back and chest up throughout.




 

Kettlebell swing
-With feet hip-width apart, take hold of a kettlebell by the top of the handle with both hands and arms straight, palms facing you.
-Bend at the hips and knees, allowing the kettlebell to swing through your legs, then explosively extend the legs and hips to swing the kettlebell out in front of you until around eye-height.
-Allow the kettlebell to lower back in between your legs as you bend at the hips and knees again to control it, then repeat the move again in a fluid motion.
Top tip: Keep a flat back throughout the whole set.

 

 

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Do It More This Week

You used to rip each other’s clothes off three times a day. When you weren't together, you were sexting so often your data plan needed an upgrade. But a couple of kids and job promotions later, you feel tapped out if you do it twice in the same week. Don't be so quick to claim a headache, though: Orgasms unleash all kinds of feel-good hormones that we want pumping through our bodies -- such as dopamine to give you that euphoric feeling, and oxytocin to fuel intimacy and lust for your partner.
So don't let excuses like these stop you:
But… I’m too stressed to even think about having sex. Here’s the amazing thing about feeling really, really turned on: Your brain actually shuts down to make way for libido, according to Dutch researchers. Looking at brain waves of subjects watching porn, they found that when female volunteers became aroused, their brains actually deactivated, losing some of their ability to process information. In other words, you stop thinking about matters that are making you stressed so you can relax (among other things). And who doesn't need a break from worry? 
But… I’m too tired. So maybe it’s time to look more closely at what’s making you fatigued outside the bedroom -- such as, how chores are divvied up around the home. A 2013 University of Washington study in the American Sociological Review found that when men and women split household duties, they have more active sex lives. The surprising part: For the aphrodesiac effect to kick in, the chores need to be divided in pretty traditional ways (i.e., ladies do laundry and guys clean gutters). Guys, just try to think of lawn work as "choreplay."
But… can’t I wait until I’m in better shape? Ladies, here’s the thing about your bod: Your partner thinks it looks pretty damn good. But if you don’t feel the same way, your sex life can suffer. However, you can get immediate feel-good benefits at the gym -- and I'm not talking about getting an endorphin boost from working out. Get this, ladies: When you exercise, you have the opportunity to have "coregasms." Researchers have discovered that women can have exercise-induced orgasms while doing ab crunches, riding stationery bikes, doing yoga, climbing poles... even while weight lifting and running. It could happen unexpectedly anytime you’re squeezing those deep pelvic floor muscles (the same ones that hold back your pee). Imagine what a few of coregasms would do to improve your mood at home... (Just sayin'.)
But… I’m just not feeling into it. So your sex drive isn't where it used to be. "This is a very common theme I see in my office," says Anne Ridley, MA, DHS, LPC, a clinical sexologist and licensed psychotherapist in Santa Fe, New Mexico. "Just as we go through different life stages, so do our hormones, which affect desire." Try introducing something simple, like a tube of lube, into your repertoire to bring new life to your carnal knowledge. A 2012 report published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that the mere act of having a partner put lubricant onto a condom was associated with lustier lovemaking sessions.
But… we’re hardly ever alone anymore. Back away from the buddies, people. Socializing can really put a damper on desire. A 2011 American Journal of Sociology study showed that when women hung out a lot with their partner’s guy friends, the couple’s sex life tanked: Their partners were 92 percent more likely to have troubles maintaining erections and achieving orgasm -- and the younger the partner, the more likely it was that his sexual performance would suffer. The authors don’t blame this effect on jealousy, though; rather, they think that when wives/girlfriends get too chummy with their guy's friends, it threatens his feelings of autonomy (the most underestimated erogenous zone).
But… my partner keeps putting lovemaking off until tomorrow. "Often, sex is caught in a dynamic between partners struggling over how close they will be," says Laurie Watson, LMFT, LPC, director of Awakenings Center for Intimacy and Sexuality in Raleigh, North Carolina, and author of Wanting Sex Again. "We need both connections and autonomy. But we must give up a little of one thing, like relaxing with solitary activities like the computer or TV, in order to have the other." The first thing to try: Turn off the TV. (And that's probably not such a bad idea anyway. A striking 2013 Harvard study published in the Journal of Sports Medicine linked a 44 percent lower sperm count in men who watched it more than 20 hours a week.)
But… we’re already having some sex. Here’s the thing about orgasms: The more you have, the better off you’ll be, for a whole host of reasons. You’ll feel more relaxed, more confident, closer to your partner and even protect yourself from heart attacks, say Tufts Medical Center researchers. Apparently, when you make love infrequently, you’re tripling your relative risk of having a heart attack within two hours of doing the deed.
An easy way to add more thumping this week: Don’t save it for the end of the night. "So many couples go out for a romantic dinner and then eat too much, drink too much and come home too tired for sex," says Watson. "Date night needs to be reshuffled. Make love first, go out second." I’ll second that

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8 Health Benefits Of Kissing

Ah, the kiss. It can be so many things: sweet, loving, awkward, intense, transporting, disappointing, boring, sublime, life altering. On the delicious and passionate side of the spectrum, a smooch can be a heart-healthy micro workout, a hormone releaser and a mood booster. It’s also fun -- and a great way to connect with the person you care about.
"Sex, as wonderful as it is, can be perfunctory," says Andréa Demirjian, author of Kissing: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about One of Life's Sweetest Pleasures. "Kissing is intimate: You're right there in the space of your soul. It gets to the core of your heart and spirit because it's such a lovely way to express and receive love and affection. A kiss a day really can keep the doctor away."

1. Kissing Helps Reduce Blood Pressure

Making out isn’t just good for your emotional heart, it gives your anatomical one a workout, too. "Kissing passionately gets your heartbeat revved in a healthy way that helps lower your blood pressure," says Demirjian. "It dilates your blood vessels -- blood is flowing in a good, solid fashion and getting to all your vital organs."

2. Kissing Zaps Cramps And Headaches

 

"Kissing is great if you have a headache or menstrual cramps," says Demirjian. You may be inclined to wave away advances when you're curled into an achy ball, but the blood-vessel dilation brought on by a good long smooching session can really help ease your pain. In fact, Demirjian recommends replacing the ol' "Not tonight, dear -- I have a headache" line with, "Honey, I have a headache. Come kiss me!"

3. Kissing Fights Cavities

A smooch-a-thon gets all, er, fluids flowing -- including your saliva. "When you're kissing, you're secreting more saliva in your mouth," says Demirjian. "That's the mechanism that washes away the plaque on your teeth that leads to cavities." (So much more fun than gargling!)

4. Kissing Amps Up Your Happy Hormones

"If you're feeling stressed or rundown, a little kissing or lovemaking [is] actually the elixir you need to... feel better,” says Demirjian. “It will relax, restore and revitalize you.... The feel-good chemicals in the brain get percolating: serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin -- things you can get from the rush of exercising.”

5. Kissing Burns (A Few) Calories

It can't compare to 30 minutes on the elliptical, but a vigorous makeout session can burn 8 to 16 calories per smooch, says Demirjian. "Kissing and lovemaking can be a vigorous exercise if you're fully engaged," she says. "You need to have a passionate kiss [in order to burn those calories], but it doesn't have to be a 10-hour makeout session."

6. Kissing Boosts Self-Esteem

One German study found that men who got a nice juicy kiss from their wives before leaving for work made more money. "If he leaves his home happy, he's more productive at work because he's not feeling emotionally distressed, so he's going to make more money," explains Demirjian. "Kissing has so much to do with your self-esteem and feeling loved and connected."

7. Kissing Can Give You A Facelift (Kind Of)

Per Demirjian, deep kissing can shape up the neck and jawline, which are often trouble spots for those concerned about looking older. "Your mouth has a number of facial muscles," she says. "When those are engaged in kissing, you can tighten and tone them."

8. Kissing Is A Barometer For Sexual Compatibility

It can be an excellent way to check out a potential partner for sexual compatibility before getting naked and emotionally involved, says Demirjian. But if your very first liplock with a new partner is meh, she recommends giving him or her one more shot. "Sometimes during the first kiss, people are feeling awkward, nervous or embarrassed,” she says. "That might not breed the most seductive, sexy experience." Second kiss is crappy, too? That’s your cue to take your lips -- and the rest of you -- elsewhere

 

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7 Reasons To Sweat Outdoors (You'll Thank Us)

7 Reasons To Sweat Outdoors

 

The warm weather has finally arrived -- and with it, yet another study showing a health boon to moving among the leaves and blossoms. According to the School of Built Environment in Edinburgh, strolling through an outdoor green space quiets the mind and lessens brain fatigue. Here are six more reasons to walk, bike, run, climb, blade and even strength train in nature.

You'll work out longer. Whether you power up and down a set of bleachers in your favorite park or mountain bike along a remote wooded trail, the distractions of your surroundings take your mind off the work of working out. As a result, you'll end up going a lot farther than you would have if you'd been walled in. "You can press 'stop' on a treadmill, but you can't turn back time after you've walked or jogged three or more miles," says my personal trainer Richard Umberto founder of PERFECT FITNESS ROUTINES, an individualized online   and field program.
 
You'll zap more calories. Research shows that exercisers burn 10 percent more calories when they walk or run outdoors than they do when they hoof it inside on a treadmill at the same speed. "When you're caught up in your environment, you're less focused on how tired you are or how much your muscles ache," says John Porcari, an exercise physiologist at the University Wisconsin-La Crosse. "We did a study where subjects rode through a virtual countryside and raced against other people, and we found they exercised 12 percent harder because they were distracted."

You’ll get off the mat. Parks are good for more than dog-walking and picnics -- they’re an ideal spot for toning. Try this mini-workout: Using a park bench as your prop, do 12 reps each of tricep dips with one leg extended (then switch legs), power jump-ups (squat, then swing arms for momentum and jump on to the bench, landing in a squat) and bicycles (lean back 45 degrees on the bench, with your hands next to your hips). Then hit the grass for push-ups and punching lunges.

You'll elevate your self-esteem. Nature's stimulation also impacts your brain in positive ways. In an article in Environmental Science & Technology, British researchers shared their findings that exercising outdoors improves self-esteem and that a walk in the country improves one's mood. "Outdoor exercise stimulates all five senses in a way that indoor activities can't," says Danny Dreyer, founder of ChiWalking, a North Carolina-based program that combines the relaxation principles of t'ai chi with walking. "Breathing in fresh air, feeling the ground under your feet, and taking in all the colors and sounds in nature are positive stimulants hitting you at the same time. You can't help but feel better about yourself and the world around you."

You'll feel happier and have a greater sense of well-being. Communing in nature makes people feel more alive, according to a series of studies published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology. In a number of other recent studies, volunteers went for two walks for the same time or distance -- one inside (usually on a treadmill or around a track), the other outdoors. Virtually all of the participants reported enjoying the outside activity more and scored significantly higher on psychological tests measuring vitality and energy, and lower in anger and depression.

You'll reduce stress. According to the California Outdoor Recreation Planning Program, over 100 studies found stress was lowered during activities that took place in either "the wilderness or urban nature areas." Here's Dryer's recommendation for a stress-diminishing walk or run: Direct your focus away from your thoughts and try to get your body moving in a relaxed way. Soften your gaze, breathe deeply into your belly through your nose, drop your shoulders and direct your energy into your lower body and away from your head. Try not to plan, think, judge, worry, describe or consider.

You'll save money. The average gym membership costs between $40 and $50 a month, which isn't bad if you go five days a week. But Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt, the authors of Freakonomics, wrote in the New York Times that people who buy annual gym memberships often overestimate how much they'll use the facilities by 70 percent. Running out your front door also saves you cash on gas.

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Does Running Damage Your Knees?

The Rumor: Running is bad for your knees

Whether you're a neophyte runner trying to get in shape for your first 5K or a seasoned veteran who regularly cranks out 10-milers before breakfast, chances are you've heard that running is -- to put it mildly -- a tad rough on the knees. The notion is so widely accepted that the knee ailment patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is commonly called "runner's knee." And that would seem to make sense.
Running is a high-impact sport that puts loads of trauma on the joints, so the risk of injury and even arthritis would have to be high, right?

The Verdict: Running incorrectly is what hurts your knees, not running itself 

"Running doesn't hurt your knees... if you do it correctly," says Mindy Solkin, an ACE-certified personal trainer and the founder, owner and head coach of The Running Center in New York City.
That may sound like a bold statement, but research backs it up. A multi-year study of almost 75,000 runners published in July 2013 found that, contrary to popular belief, running does not increase the risk of developing osteoarthritis. In fact, runners in the study were found to be in less jeopardy of arthritis than their non-active counterparts. Another study, published in September 2013, netted similar findings, showing that while the impact from running is high, runners' feet strike the ground less frequently and more briefly than if they were walking -- so, in essence, running and walking put the same stress on the knees.
Why then is there such a high incidence of runners with knee problems? "I really believe that most injuries happen because of poor running form," Solkin says. Some of these form issues can be remedied with conditioning, while others may be linked to your physical makeup. "Certainly, it's true that if you're carrying extra weight, or have one leg shorter than the other -- some sort of significant leg-length discrepancy -- or if your pelvis is tilted, then, yes, you're going to have a tougher time," explains Solkin. "You can run without injury; you just have to know your limits."
The first thing Solkin recommends for new runners or those experiencing pain is to get a biomechanical analysis of their running form. "If you don't get somebody who knows what they're doing and knows what to look for... that's where the problem comes in," she says. "Once you know what the issue is, you can work on fixing it."
Poor form isn't the only thing that can lead to knee injury, however. According to Solkin, running too much too soon can strain muscles, joints and ligaments that aren't yet strong enough to handle the workload. "Unless you're highly competitive, no one should be running more than three or four days a week," she insists. "Work up to a higher mileage and frequency."
Another fast track to injury is hitting the trails or roads in the wrong shoes -- or no shoes at all. Solkin warns runners against jumping on the "barefoot running" bandwagon or going gaga for the ultra-light minimalist running shoes that often dominate store shelves. "Ten years ago, those kinds of shoes were worn by competitive runners for competition only," she says. "I recommend starting with something sturdier, with more cushioning."
The final item on Solkin's to-avoid list is a bit more surprising: listening to music while you run. "Runners should tune in to their body, not out," Solkin says. "When you're listening to music, you're not listening to your body, and you're not able to make adjustments to your form as readily."
Of course, you can do everything right and still experience knee pain, so the key is to take action immediately. "If something hurts, go home and ice it," Solkin advises. "The first time it happens, you can write it off as just a little soreness. But the second or third time, you have to do something."

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