Exercises To Tone and Tighten Your Glutes!!
Exercises To Tone and Tighten Your Glutes!!
There was a time when having a shapely, toned, gluteus maximus was just for people who were born with it. Nowadays there are several exercises that focus specifically on the glutes and go a long way in shaping a flat derriere. Implementing these four exercises into your lower body workout will help you achieve just what you’re looking for, blast unwanted fat and create tighter, toned glutes. Start by utilizinging just your body weight and then add resistance as the exercises become easier for you. Added weight with any of the exercises below will challenge and stimulate your glutes to encourage muscle growth giving your metabolism a boost.
Reduce the Catabolic Effects of Cardiovascular Exercise
Reduce the Catabolic Effects of Cardiovascular Exercise
To lose weight and decrease body fat, cardiovascular exercise is an imperative aspect of any fitness program-however, I emphasize to my personal training clients that your workouts should be tailored to meet your personal goals. For instance, if you’re close to your ideal body weight and primarily want to build strength and lean body mass, you will reap greater results if a greater portion of your workout is devoted to resistance training. In fact, too much cardio can actually work against you and impede your progress if muscle hypertrophy is your goal. Hours of cardio as well as high intensity cardio may have a catabolic effect on muscle tissue, making it difficult to develop the strength and muscle definition you are aiming for. Resistance and cardiovascular training adaptations to exercise differ and when you “overdo” the cardio, you’re sending your body mixed messages-one catabolic and one anabolic. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to reduce the catabolic effects of cardio when your goal is to build muscle and lean body mass.
What Causes The Burn In Your Muscles During a Workout?
What Causes The Burn In Your Muscles During a Workout?
Have you ever wondered what causes that painful burn in your muscles during an intense workout? Whether your workout involves the utilization of weights or your own body weight as resistance, repetition after repetition often causes a burning sensation in the isolated muscle. The burn is caused by a substance called lactic acid which is produced by the body when glucose is broken down for energy during intense anaerobic exercise.
2015 LA Fit Expo
Body Fortress recently flew me out to the 2015 LA Fit Expo held at the LA Convention Center the weekend of February 6th – February 8th. Body Fortress was giving samples of our Super Advanced NOS Blast, our High Performance Creatine, our strawberry flavored Whey Protein Isolate, and our chocolate flavored Mass Gainer. We also had a couple of dipping stations and a spider box punching bag machine where we gave away prizes for the male and female who could do the most dips and who could hit the bag the hardest. I had an amazing time and got to meet many new fans and friends. Click here for more pictures.
Three Exercises to Build a More Muscular Chest
Three Exercises to Build a More Muscular Chest
The most common question I get asked, whether it be from one of my personal training clients or from a person I just met in passing is, “How much can you bench press?” It seems everyone wants to know how to develop a more muscular chest. Well, when it comes to building a more developed chest I’ve always believed in sticking to the basics. Here are three exercises that I have used from day one and still continue to use in order to build my chest.
Carb Free Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Calorie Free
Carb Free Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Calorie Free
The other day two of my personal training clients came in for their weekly weigh in. The clients had been supposedly following a nutrition plan and exercise regiment I had outlined for them. However, they were both shocked and surprised to see the scale showed them each gaining 3 pounds from their last weigh in a week ago. When I asked them what they had been eating, they each said they had been following their diets very closely. Upon further questioning, I came to find out they had been snacking on onion skins and nuts. When I asked them why, they responded “onion skins and nuts don’t have any carbs Korbie, so we thought they were ok to snack on.” They made the assumption so many dieters make, that carbohydrates are inherently fattening and if a food doesn’t contain carbs it’s ok to eat.
Too Busy Holiday Shopping, Forgot To Pack Your Meal??
Here are 5 tips to help you stay on your diet through the duration of your busy shopping excursion.
1. Consuming a balanced meal requires more than just eating healthy foods, counting calories, and omitting unhealthy choices. Selecting foods that are high in protein, fiber, healthy fats and a balance of carbohydrates will help you feel satiated between meals. When planning a marathon-shopping day, make sure you eat before setting out for your journey. Pack a protein bar to avoid any possible chance of skipping a meal. Thus will only result in a drop in blood sugar and energy depletion.
2014 Mr. Olympia Competition
Body Fortress recently flew me out to the 2014 Mr. Olympia Competition held September 19th and 20th at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas Nevada. This Mr. Olympia was different than Mr. Olympia’s of the past for a couple of reasons. First, this was the 50th anniversary of Joe Weider’s Mr. Olympia competition. And second, my brother was competing in the show. The show was very competitive and exciting featuring only the best bodybuilders and fitness athletes in the world. When the dust settled my brother did an awesome job of representing New Mexico and Training Innovations proud! Congratulations Jojo on a great showing in your first Mr. Olympia contest!
The Mr. Olympia Fitness Expo also took place the same weekend at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The Expo was held earlier in the day for fans to come out and meet some of their favorite athletes and also to get a chance to try the latest and greatest supplements on the market. The Body Fortress booth was swarmed as usual with our pull up challenge and quick punching the pads challenge. I had the pleasure of working with my Body Fortress team mates and also had the opportunity to meet and greet lots of new fans and friends. I had an unforgettable weekend and look forward to being a part of it again next year!
Just in Time for Bulking Season
Just in Time for Bulking Season
It is known in the fitness industry that athletes have different times of the year where we either bulk up(add quality muscle mass to our body by increasing our caloric content and training with heavier weights) or contest diet(diet down to extremely low levels of body fat while hopefully trying to maintain the quality muscle mass we built during the bulking phase). The contest diet part seems to be attainable for most athletes being that there are more contest prep coaches available for hire now and it is just easier in general to lose body fat than it is to build muscle. Bulking up and putting on quality muscle for many athletes seems to be as elusive as the Road Runner when Wiley Coyote is chasing him in the cartoons. They have absolutely no idea how to go about it. It would be easy to just add a bunch of extra calories by way of hamburgers, enchiladas, pizza, and candy, but I would wager that you would see your waistline expanding a lot quicker than your chest or biceps. In order to really put on that quality weight gain, it is important to increase your caloric intake slowly over time. You also need to eat nutritious, calorically dense foods and incorporate a high quality weight gainer.
Eating Too Little to Lose Weight?
Eating Too Little to Lose Weight?
That statement is a paradox that describes the thought process of the majority of my personal training clients. “If I eat less, I’ll lose weight.” Yes, it looks good on paper. The only problem is that our bodies are far too efficient and adaptive. When we eat less food our bodies simply spend less calories by slowing down the metabolism. So there really is such a thing as eating too little to lose weight. Most people seem to understand the concept better when I compare it to finances.
