Is Strength Training Right for You?
This is one fact not too many people are aware of. When you engage in strength training, you gain muscles; the muscle requires more calories to maintain, which in turn makes you burn calories faster. In...
6 Benefits of Resistance Training
Nowadays, fitness enthusiasts are becoming more aware of the benefits of lifting heavier weights in the lower rep ranges to lose weight and get lean, but that's just the beginning...
What to Eat Before and After Your Workouts - A Food and Supplement Guide
Whether the goal is to lose fat, gain muscle, or build strength, you must understand that what you put in your mouth pre/post-workout has the power to speed up or slow down your progress...
What is HIIT and How It Can Completely Transform Your Body
You have probably seen the term HIIT all over the internet lately. It became very popular in the online fitness community and the hype is still going strong. So what exactly is HIIT? And what makes it...
5K Race Day Tips for Beginners
If you are just getting into running, signing up for your first race is the best way to keep yourself motivated and on track. When it comes to races, beginners usually choose 5K events because they will...
Can You Eat Junk Food and Still Get a Six Pack?
The secret to getting a six-pack is energy balance. Think calories in (eaten) versus calories out (burned)...
The Essential Supplement Stack for Shredding
You're probably very proud of the mass and muscle you've put on during the bulking phase, especially when your arms are popping out of your sleeves! But would you still feel as proud if you had to take...
The Essential Supplement Stack for Building Mass
Here's an essential supplement stack that will benefit those who are having a hard time building mass...
Bulking Tips for Hard-Gainers - How to Put on Quality Mass
We all know that one person who can't seem to gain weight no matter how hard he or she tries. While this is good from a weight loss standpoint, it can be a huge problem if your goal is to put on quality...
A Healthy Rate of Weight Loss
Because we're consistently bombarded with exercise and diet plans that promise extravagant weight loss results, it's hard to decipher what truly is a realistic and healthy rate of weight loss...
A Beginners Guide for Running to Lose Weight
According to Mayo Clinic, running is the most efficient physical activity for calorie burning. A 160-lb. person will burn 606 calories every 60 minutes they run at a pace of 5 miles per hour, or 861 calories...
How Many Calories Do You Burn Walking or Running a Mile?
Regularly incorporating walking or running into your regimen provides a plethora of health benefits. For those interested in reaching or maintaining a healthy body fat percentage, walking and running burns...
Four Ways to Speed up Your Metabolism
Your metabolism is the amount of energy, measured by the number of calories, your body uses in a single day. Your body is always burning calories, even when you're sleeping, as it regulates your body temperature,...
The Right Number of Sets and Reps to Reach Your Goals
The structure of your weight lifting workouts will directly influence the effects the training has on your muscles. A workout that is designed to elicit gains in strength is different than a regimen meant...
How to Figure Out How Much Weight You Should be Lifting
While several factors will influence the effectiveness of your weight training sessions, none makes as big of an impact as lifting an appropriate amount of weight. The load that you place on your muscles...
Top 5 Fitness Myths
With all the fitness advice out there, it's hard to know what's actually legit and what's completely false. While some of the most common training myths can keep you from maximizing your workouts, others...
How and Why to Build Grip Strength
Developing strength in your forearms and hands isn't likely at the top of your fitness goals, but there are several benefits to taking a couple minutes out of your session to dedicate to building grip...
A Workout to Improve Shoulder Stability
Capable of moving in nearly all directions, your shoulders are the most complex joints in your body, making them highly susceptible to injury. Regularly incorporating exercises that build strength, stability...
The Simple Yet Overlooked Key to Putting on Muscle: Sleep
For individuals looking to build muscle, sleep is no less than vital. It's when you're sound asleep that your body really goes to work at repairing and building your muscle tissue. This anabolic state,...
A 5-Minute Core Circuit with a Weighted Plate
A weak core leaves you more susceptible to both traumatic and overuse injuries. Daily activities and athletic movements place a greater load on the spine, which calls for a greater demand from your core...
How to Keep Track of Your Fitness Improvements
If you're serious about wanting to lower your body fat, gain muscle, get stronger or improve your cardiovascular fitness, it's important that you track your training progress along the way...
How Much Rest Between Workouts?
The amount of rest that you give your body after exercise will directly affect how quickly and effectively you build muscle strength and size. Many weight lifters can become so preoccupied with their training...
Does Weight Lifting Make Women Bulky?
Despite weight training being beneficial for building strength, maintaining bone density and reducing body fat, some women are hesitant. A common concern among women is that lifting weights will cause...
Addressing Stubborn Belly Fat
You've been disciplined with your workouts. Made efforts to improve your diet. The hard work has paid off. You've lost a good amount of weight and are feeling good. But, you hit a plateau and no matter...
Should Children Lift Weights?
It's understandable that you'd be hesitant if your child comes shows interest in weight training. Lifting weights has long bee proven beneficial for adults, but there are many concerns that the stress...
The Lifelong Benefits of Being Active
Being physically active offers several health and fitness benefits that can pay off as you get older. Even if you're middle-aged and haven't been exercising regularly, you'll still reap health benefits...
Should I Do Cardio or Weight Training First?
Fitness trainers get asked all of the time whether doing cardio or weight training first is best. Now that it's well accepted that both cardio and weight lifting are important and beneficial activities...
The Best Foods to Eat Before Working Out
What and when you eat before your workout will have a direct impact on the quality of your session. A pre-workout meal can give your body the nutrients and fuel it needs to work at a high intensity. If...
4 Types of Squats for Strong Hips and Legs
For athletes, fitness enthusiasts and general exercises alike, squats should serve as the staple to a weight-training program. A compound exercise that targets all of the major muscles in the hips and...
Can Exercise Help Prevent Cancer?
While not all types of cancer are preventable, you can greatly reduce the risk of developing the disease by avoiding risk factors and practicing healthy living. Physical activity is beneficial to your...
A Look at the Overhead Squat
Athletes and general fitness enthusiasts alike benefit from the overhead squat, which works all the major muscles in the hips and legs as well as the core. The exercise can be challenging to learn, but...
How to Still Work Out When It's Cold
During the winter season, the cold weather can make it uncomfortable to exercise outside. But finding ways to stay physically fit throughout the chilly months is important for maintaining the health of...
5 Different Ways to do Biceps Curls
Biceps curls are a valuable training exercise for those looking to build bigger arms. They're an isolation exercise, which means they only involve movement around a single joint and don't work many muscle...
How To Correctly Do Lat Pulldown
The lat pulldown exercise is a popular upper body strength training exercise that targets muscles in the back and arms. Typically, the exercise is completed on a lat pulldown cable pulley unit...
Working Out Safely in the Heat
Exercising when it's hot can potentially be a dangerous activity if you don't take extra precautions. Any time the temperature gets over 80 degrees Fahrenheit, you've got to take some additional steps...
Exercises to Improve Your Balance
Balance training is an important activity for people of all physical abilities. Athletes interested in improving their performance benefit from stability exercises, as greater balance allows them to move...
Common Strength Training Mistakes to Avoid
When performed correctly, strength training offers several health and fitness benefits for people of all ages and physical abilities. There are training mistakes that beginning and advanced lifters commonly...
What to Do After a Workout to Maximize Benefits
What you do after your workout is just as important for fat loss and muscle building as the workout itself. While you may be tempted to immediately go on with your day, there are things you can do that...
The 3 Best Full Body Exercises
Full body exercises are multiple-joint movements that recruit several muscles throughout the entire body at the same time. They're beneficial for those who are looking to get the most benefit from a short...
How Long Does It Take to See Fitness Results?
It's not uncommon to want to see results as quickly as possible after starting to work out. Noticing improvements in body fat, muscle strength and definition, and flexibility is always encouraging and...
How and Why to Calculate Your Target Heart Rate
Cardiovascular activities, like walking, jogging and biking, can help you develop or maintain the health of your heart, circulatory system and lungs. Not all cardio workouts are equal, however. How effective...
How to set SMART Fitness Goals
When fitness goals are designed correctly, they will help you reach greater cardio, strength, flexibility and fat loss achievements. Goals allow you to better tailor your workouts toward what you're focused...
Take Your Workout to the Stairs
You don't need a gym or any special equipment to build strength and burn calories in a single workout. A stair workout will help you build strength and build cardiovascular endurance in a single...
Easing Back Into Exercises After a Long Break
Whether you stepped away from your exercise regimen because of an injury, scheduling conflicts, to give birth, or simply because of a loss of motivation, the process of getting back into the exercise groove...
A Workout For Shapely Shoulders
With the weather getting warmer, it's nearly time to trade the sweatshirts for sleeveless tops and for your shoulders to once again be showcased to the world. If you're interested in building shapely and...
Fit in a Workout While You're at Work
Yes, it may be true that you work long hours. But, with this workout that you can do at your desk, the excuse of being too busy to exercise is no longer acceptable. A sedentary lifestyle has been shown...
Can Exercise Help Combat Depression?
Evidence suggests that exercise can help ease the symptoms associated with depression, a serious but common mood disorder that affects an estimated 19 million Americans. Depression can develop in anyone,...
Have a Workout Game Plan
Whether you're working out at a gym or hitting up the neighborhood park, it's essential that you don't begin your training session without a clear, detailed game plan...
What's the Best Time to Work Out
Maximizing the effectiveness of a workout is something everyone is interested in. Some exercisers swear by the early morning sessions to dive into the day, while others can't imagine doing anything physically...
A Workout You Can Do While Watching TV
If you're constantly facing long work days, it can be difficult to find the motivation or time to work out. All you probably want to do when you get home is relax, but you know how important it is for...
Extended Moderate-Intensity Cardio Vs. Short Bouts of High-Intensity Exercise
Traditionally, health organizations have recommended longer, steady aerobic activities to improve cardiovascular health. Research has certainly backed up their recommendations, cementing that aerobic exercise...
TRX Exercises for Beginners
You may have noticed a pair of yellow straps hanging from the ceiling of your gym. The TRX Suspension Training equipment is designed for body-weight resistance exercises to build strength, balance, and...
How to Bench Press Correctly
If you're looking to build strength or size in the upper body, bench press should be a workout regimen staple. The bench press is classified as a compound weight lifting exercise, which means that it requires...
Understanding the 5 Components of Fitness
Being physically fit means that your body has the attributes to function efficiently and effectively. These attributes necessary for being fit can be broken into five separate components, including cardiovascular...
Exercises to Do With a Stability Ball
Training with stability balls is a great way to build strength and balance. Stability balls, often referred to as Swiss balls or exercise balls, provide you with an unstable surface and make even the most...
Mastering the Kettlebell Swing
The kettlebell swing is a ballistic exercise performed with a cast-iron weight that builds strength, power and endurance. It works what's referred to as your "posterior chain," which include the muscles...
A Workout For Those Looking to Build Bone Density
As we get older, our bone density naturally decreases, putting us at an increased risk of fractures. This loss in bone density is caused by hormonal changes, particularly in women, and because of our tendency...
Scared to Start Weight Training - Here's an Easy and Safe Way to Begin
If you've never lifted weights, there's no doubt that the activity can be intimidating. Simply showing up at the gym and being unsure about etiquette, what exercises to do and how to do them can make you...
How Exercise Can Lower Your Stress
Stress is an inevitable issue for practically everyone, as the obstacles of our daily schedules and volume of responsibilities can be overwhelming. The anxiety that builds from constantly juggling job...
Should You Exercise When You're Sore?
It's bittersweet to wake up in the morning with the extreme discomfort of soreness. Yes, it's uncomfortable and at times can be debilitating. But, it also means that the day before you pushed your body...
High Intensity Interval Workout for Beginners
High-intensity interval workouts may seem overwhelming if you've never done them, but they're effective and beneficial for people of all fitness levels. They can be tailored to accommodate those who are...
Different Types of Lunges
One of the most beneficial exercises you can incorporate into your workout regimen is the lunge. The lunge is a compound exercise, which means it involves several moving joints and works multiple muscle...
Begin Your Workouts with a Mind-Body Warm-up
Just fitting in a workout can be challenging enough, so it's easy to understand why most people don't want to tack on the extra few minutes for a warm-up. But by being willing to perform a 10-minute warm-up,...
Should You Pay for a Personal Trainer?
Hiring a personal trainer is a sizable investment. An educated, qualified trainer is expensive. Are they worth the hefty price? In many cases, absolutely...
Build Arm and Shoulder Definition With This Workout
Tone and tighten the muscles in your shoulders and arms with a high-volume weight-training workout. Building lean muscle takes routinely participate in workouts that overload the muscles. To overload muscles...
How Much Exercise Should You Do?
Navigating through the world of physical fitness can be overwhelming. You know you should exercise. You've heard about the benefits. But you're not sure of exactly what you should do and how often...
Help Reduce Back Pain With These 10 Exercises
Lower back pain can be caused by a variety of factors. Acute back pain begins suddenly and is commonly caused by a specific event like a fall or a blow, or bending over to pick up something that's heavy...
Are You Doing Squats the Right Way?
Squats should be a staple in your weight-training program. They're one of the best exercises for building strength in the hips and legs. They're considered a compound exercise, meaning they require action...
Improve Your Treadmill Workouts With These Tips
Walking or running on treadmills can help you reach and maintain a healthy body fat percentage, reduce your heart disease risk, increase your stamina and boost your mood. But over time, if you stick to...
Why Lifting Weights Is So Important For Women
In the past, women have typically steered clear of the weight training area of the gym for fear of bulking up. Luckily, it seems that women's attitudes towards lifting weights are shifting...
Burn More Calories By Ending Your Workout With A "Finisher"
Super charge your fat loss efforts by putting in a few extra minutes of exercise overtime at the end of your workout. A finisher is a short, total body circuit done at a high intensity. When you tag a...
A Kettlebell Workout for Beginners
It's likely you've noticed kettlebells at the gym; the iron, cannonball-shaped weights with handles can be intimidating. But, if you're nervous to train with kettlebells, you needn't be! In fact, if you're...
Why You Shouldn't Obsess Over the Scale
It's easy to get overly concerned with that number that stares back at you when you step on the scale. If you're trying to lower your body weight, you may even be slightly obsessed with the scale. It seems...
Weight Loss That Lasts
Losing weight requires discipline and planning, and it's a huge accomplishment when you reach your goal. Unfortunately, keeping the weight off is just as difficult...
Trumping the Excuse of Not Enough Time to Exercise
Having difficulty fitting in your workouts? There's no doubting that our schedules are busier than ever. Being nearly pushed to the brim and falling into bed exhausted everyday makes it difficult to motivate...
Calculating Your Personal Caloric Deficit Goal for Weight Loss
You probably understand that in order to lose weight, you need to burn a greater number of calories than you take in from what you eat or drink. When you do so, you force your body to break down some of...
The Myth of Spot Reduction Weight Loss
There are a number of reasons for wanting to lower your body fat, including the array of health benefits it offers. A healthy body composition lowers your risk of high blood pressure, stroke, cancer and...
Strength Training's Positive Impact on Weight Loss
Many assume that strength training is beneficial for those looking to build strength or increase their muscle size, but lifting weights can also an integral element to a successful weight loss...
Setting Yourself Up for Success with your Weight Loss Goals
More often than not, people looking to lose weight are interested in shedding off pounds as quickly as possible. It's difficult to decipher what is a healthy rate of weight loss when infomercials and advertisements...
Building Strength with Bodyweight Exercises
When most think of strength training, they immediately envision dumbbells, barbells and other weighted implements. Weighted implements provide the resistance that your muscles must overcome, and thus are...
Ways to Burn a Significant Amount of Calories
To lower your body fat, you must burn a greater number of calories than you consume over a set amount of time. Therefore, along with a healthy eating plan, you also need to participate in an efficient...
Exercising to Lose Weight
Exercising regularly is an essential component to any successful weight loss program. You can decrease body fat by making healthy eating decisions alone, but if you combine your nutritional efforts with...
A Plan for Successful Weight Loss
Laying out a structured plan for weight loss will ensure that you set yourself up for success. Lowering your body fat is a challenge. It requires discipline and consistency. But, it can be done if you...
Losing Weight with a Jumprope
Jumping rope is amongst the most efficient exercise activities for burning calories. According to Mayo Clinic, a 160-lb. person will burn 861 calories in 60 minutes of jumping rope...
Different Types of Push-ups
Push-ups are likely the most versatile of strength training exercises because they can be modified and tweaked to develop and focus on different muscles. The push-up is considered a compound exercise,...
Cardio Versus Interval Training for Weight Loss
To lose weight, you want to simultaneously eat healthy and burn a significant number of calories. The more calories you burn each day, the greater the caloric deficit you create and the more fat you ultimately...