TRX is shredding it in the fitness world. I come across people every day who still haven't ever heard of it, much less attempted to dangle from those terrifying yellow straps. As a Certified TRX Instructor, this pains me deep down, because TRX can be such a powerful tool for people to change their bodies. I use TRX on a regular basis with my clients who range in age from 20-85, and there is always an effective exercise that challenges each one of them. 

TRX is a very versatile tool that can be used in a wide variety of different training styles. 

During my TRX classes, I vary the training styles to keep my students interested, however, they're also able to enjoy the different benefits, such as improved strength and stability, better range of motion in their joints, and the high amounts of calories burned. In the rest of this article, I'll talk about what makes TRX challenging and why this is such a powerful benefit of this unique training style.

What Makes TRX Training Different?

TRX training utilizes a common concept - bodyweight exercise - with a very uncommon stability challenge to create a unique, full body workout with every exercise. The TRX straps are suspended from an A-frame structure, door, post, etc to allow the trainee to make each exercise harder or easier just by stepping towards or away from the anchor point. This makes it very easy to increase or decrease the intensity of each exercise. By changing the angle at which you stand relative to the floor and the anchor point, you can make a bodybuilder's veins pop out or teach a newbie the basics of resistance training. Some of you might be thinking that bodyweight exercises just aren't going to be challenging enough if you really want to put on some muscle. This may be true in a normal scenario, but with TRX training, the added stability challenge turns something as simple as a push up into a much more challenging exercise. 

By allowing your arms or legs to move freely in the straps, you make it much harder on your body. These stabilizer muscles often get forgotten and weak due to help from machines, the added stability of a barbell, or a closed chain exercise like a body weight push up. I have also found, through my own training with TRX, that my 1RM (One repetition max) for just about every exercise increases after using it for a few weeks. This is because TRX training strengthens those stabilizer muscles which makes the more structured exercises seem easier.

Another very unique aspect of TRX training is the focus on full body. If you love doing planks, then you'll love doing TRX. Because TRX is all body weight, gravity and angles, you're basically doing planks during every exercise you complete. TRX forces you to tilt your pelvis appropriately while engaging your core to safely align your spine during each exercise. With the right supervision, this can be a very powerful tool for people with back problems or who hate doing crunches or sit ups. A lot of back pain stems from the inability to use your core, which in turn makes the core very weak. After a few TRX sessions with a good trainer, the trainee can learn the basic concepts behind keeping the spine in a safe position. Once those basic principles are understood, the trainee can really start focusing on adding resistance to build muscle mass safely, which may have been impossible otherwise.

Lastly, if you're looking for exercises that will burn calories fast, then TRX is for you! So how do you burn calories fast? One of the best ways to burn calories is to use multiple muscle groups at once during your exercises. With the TRX, even a simple exercise like a Biceps Curl utilizes not only the biceps, but the shoulders, abs, glutes, forearms, and low back. TRX turns an isolation exercise into a calorie burning, muscle building machine!

If you've never tried TRX before, search the gyms in your area for TRX classes. 

SOURCE : Ryan M York | EZine 

Health And Nutrition - Fitting Fitness Into Your Busy Day

When it comes to health and fitness training time is always an issue. Some of us are busy, some of us are very busy, and some of us are so busy we don't even know which way is up. 

Sound familiar? If you are the kind of person who is on the go the minute the alarm rings in the morning to the minute your head hits the pillow at night this article is for you. 

If you have kids who eat up all your time and you dream of a little time to yourself, this article is for you. If you want desperately to get fit but other commitments are making it next to impossible this article is for you.

 

Here's the good news, getting fit doesn't take that much time. You need to address two areas in your life; exercise and diet. In fact, if you are stuck for time to workout, the diet portion is going to have more of a drastic effect on your fitness. Think about it, if you don't have time to burn the calories then you need to cut them from your diet. 

Wait a minute! You are probably thinking to yourself that food is one of the only sources of pleasure in your busy day. I agree with you, it should be. Eating well better darn well also be delicious. If it isn't then you are doomed to fail your diet. So understand what I am saying, you will eat well but you must also enjoy your food. I am not talking about a radical starvation diet or diet extremes where you avoid carbs or fats at all costs. 

Your Nutrition should be well-balanced.

Here are a few golden rules :

1. Drink 2 to 3 litres of water a day
2. Avoid processed foods
3. Avoid foods with refined sugar

Here's a last tip, if you are the type who eats a lot of fast food because you are so busy, just make better choices. Order water instead of pop with your meal. Have a salad instead of fries with your burger or sandwich. Have honey instead of sugar in your coffee. All these small choices made day after day will add up in the long run. Think about it, maybe you have been putting on 5 to 10 pounds a year for a few years. Not a lot of weight over the course of a year. This slow addition of fat has been because of all these small choices. 

So you don't have to make big changes to reverse this weight gain.

As for a fitness routine do one set of the following as you roll out of bed in the morning and just before you go to bed at night:

1. Push ups
2. Lunges (Take a long stride of a stance and do 1 set each for side)
3. Crunches (Remember to hold your hands by your ears, not inter-laced behind your head ‚¬€ don't pull on your neck while you do these)

4. IF YOU ARE FEELING AMBITIOUS ‚Chin ups ( you can get a chin up bar that installs in a door frame for around $20 from most sports stores)

If you follow a simple fitness routine like the one outlined above you will definitely get strong. This will result in a sleek and shapely physique. As you lose weight and shed fat you will reveal this new toned body. 

Fitness workout programs don't have to be a one or two hour ordeal. It can be and short and sweet if that is all you have time to do. What is important is that you do something to keep your body strong and performing well. One day at some point in the future you just may have more free time to join a gym or a running club or whatever you like to do. 

When that day comes you will be ready for it because this little fitness exercise plan and simple diet has kept you fit.

Don't put it off. It doesn't take much effort. Make a change in your life starting today.

Source : Niall Traynor |GO 

Best Battle Rope Workout

Battle Rope Workouts Burn Fat While Building Muscle!

Battle Rope workouts are becoming more and more popular in the fitness world thanks to circuit style training and new research about the negative effects of steady state cardio. According to all the recent articles out there, they are able to burn high amounts of calories and fat while building muscle. It also has the advantage of being very low impact (considering you're just standing, it is virtually no impact). 

 But, can we believe the hype?

What Does the Research Say?

Well, unfortunately, there isn't a lot of research out there at this point about battle ropes, so I took the liberty to do a little test run on my own to see just how effective they can be. I set up a HIIT style workout using the battle ropes, and I kept it short and sweet at just 10 minutes. I worked at maximum effort for 30 seconds then took 30 seconds of active recovery (I walked during the 30 second recovery period). Using a heart monitor and my Polar T4 wrist monitor, here is what I found:

Workout Duration (excluding warm up and cool down): 10 Minutes
Total Calories Burned: 149
Max. Heart Rate: 172

Notes: I also felt some serious burn in my arms and shoulders, and I could tell my core got a solid workout also.

So, what does this mean? Is that a good workout? Well, in terms of calories, that is an awesome workout for the duration. For a HIIT style workout, I wouldn't recommend going longer than 30 minutes. Typically, if you can last longer than 30 minutes, you could be working harder. So, in 30 minutes, that works out to 447 Calories, plus all the extra calories you'll burn in EPOC which varies, but usually works out to around 100-200 more. Interval training like this also promotes some very important health benefits including insulin resistance, increased VO2 max and many others. For those of us looking to get more defined, interval training maintains muscle mass which is crucial for getting a nice physique.

To put this into perspective, let's compare this to some other forms of cardio.

30 Minute Battle Rope Workout: 447 + 200 in EPOC = 647 Total Calories Burned
60 Minutes on the treadmill at 6mph (10 minute mile): Approximately 700 Calories
60 Minutes on the treadmill leisurely walking: Approximately 270 Calories
60 Minutes of Basketball at a vigorous intensity: Approximately 600 Calories

Keep in mind, the Battle Rope workout is a 30 minute workout. Thirty minutes of Battle Ropes at maximum intensity burns as many, if not more, calories than many common forms of exercise can burn in twice that time. This is an awesome way for people with joint problems to be able to perform high intensity exercise while maintaining their joint integrity and limiting joint pain. Battle Ropes also promote strength gains in the upper body and limiting the catabolic effects present during steady state cardio. Overall, Battle Rope workouts are looking to be a great new form of cardio and a great addition to any workout program.

Source: Ryan M York Ezine

10 Psychological Benefits Of Running

The physical advantages of running has long been established. Some people run to build muscle, while others run to lose weight. However, aside from the physical impacts running can do to us, there are several psychological benefits of running. Scientific studies found significant improvements in people’s mental health due to this particular physical activity. 

 

  

Here are the 10 benefits.

1. People who run find it easier to deal with anxiety. While running, the activity of serotonin receptors in the brain is greatly reduced thus decreasing anxiety levels and creating an antidepressant effect for many people.

2. Improved IQ. A Swedish study found that people who engage in aerobic exercises such as running have better cognitive functions and memory. This is attributed to the belief that running helps increase the blood flow and circulation to the brain, giving way to the formation of new brain cells.

3. Positive attitude. Runners are found to be more optimistic, more friendly and exude more patience and energy.

4. Running has also been included in addressing clinical depression. It is found that the more people run, the less depressed they feel. It certainly is a good yet cheaper alternative remedy for this disorder.

5. Running also helps in building up stress resistance. Running significantly reduces  stress through the excretion of endorphins, often called the happy hormones.

6. Better concentration is also among the psychological benefits of running. Particularly, running outdoors give the individual more focus on the things he has to deal with and is most likely able to come up with solutions to problems.

7. Studies also found that people who run regularly are happier. 72% of them claim that they are happy, while people who said they were only slightly happy or not happy tend not to engage in any physical activity. 

 

8. Running also presents positive self-image and higher confidence. Achieving running milestones, may it be in terms of performance or physical improvements, gives a runner more confidence. The number or calories burned or number of races finished represents the hard work and achievement a runner can be proud of.

9. Furthermore, according to several studies, the endorphins released by the brain during running gives a certain “high.” This so-called “runner’s high” is responsible in making people happy and stress-free. For that reason, running has been popularly integrated in psychological treatments.

10. Running encourages creativity. We may encounter mental blocks from time to time and the best way to shake this off is through indulging in physical activities. Since one is able to concentrate more while running, the mental problem-solving also commences. Furthermore, aside from mood elevation which also greatly helps with creativity, runners find more inspiration especially in their creative endeavors through running. 

 

Indeed, the number of psychological benefits of running are considerable. Not only does it boost the physical body, but also nurture the psychological processes of a person. Running only proves that it is the cheapest and more convenient pill against several psychological issues, and the more a person immerses himself in running, the more he will reap its benefits for the body and the mind.     

Damian@fitnhealthy

The Reasons To Get Into Rock Climbing

The FitnHealthy crew love Rock Climbing as a great mind and physical exercise .. most readers are

probably aware of rock climbing and might wonder why it has gained in popularity to the point that you have rock climbing walls on cruise ships! Well, there are a number of reasons. 

Perhaps the first reason climbing is picking up in popularity is the simple fact it is outside. You can usually find somewhere to climb that is relatively near to your home. While climbing, you are out in the fresh air and away from the things that annoy all of us like cell phones, and the like. 

The second reason many get into rock climbing is the exercise factor. If you are like me, you get bored quickly if you are just doing reps or plodding along on a treadmill or some similar exercise equipment. This is why so many home exercise machines turn into expensive clothes hangers. With rock climbing, boredom is not a problem. Even the biggest cynic gets a rush from being up in the air on a vertical face. 

While these are all good reasons for climbing, you can find them by doing other things as well. There has to be something else that makes rock climbing so addictive and special. There is. It is a personal challenge. 

Whether you realize it or not, you crave personal challenges. The problem these days is finding something that is truly personal. With rock climbing, this is not a problem. It is you and whatever you are climbing. You either pull it off or you don't. This makes it a purely personal sport that you, and you alone, can succeed at or give up. There is something about that which gets most people going.

This certainly isn't intended to suggest that rock climbing has to be a solitary sport. Usually, you have at least one other person with you. 

 More and more people, however, are pursuing it as a family outing. With rock climbing gyms popping up everywhere, it is even growing a social side where like minded people can meet. 

Rock climbing is a great sport, but it is often hard to explain to a non-climber why it so great. If you are considering it at all, I strongly encourage you to have a go at it. 

 

You might just find that weekend activity you've been searching for your entire life. Just realize that you probably won't restrict it to just the weekends!

 

 Damian@ufitnhealthy

Want to be a Better Hill Climber on your Bike...

If you ask most people where their cycling weakness lies, they will more often than not say hill climbing. Nothing sucks the snap from your legs quicker than a steep uphill grade but nothing is more satisfying than conquering a tough hill. - This applies also on a SPIN Bike

 

If your goal is better fitness you can't get a better workout than a ride that hits hill after hill. As a coach, the most common questions I get revolve around how to be stronger on the hills.

Here are the four key areas that affect your ability to go uphill fast.

Climbing Power

Climbing well requires both cardiovasular and muscular endurance. Without getting too technical, the best way to get better at hill climbing is to climb. Hill repeats where you climb to the top, turn around, descend to the bottom and repeat are a great way to get a lot of hill work in a short workout. My favourite is to head out to local hill that is about 1 km long. It's challenging with a few steep pitches with good visibility at the top and bottom, making it safer for turning around when doing repeats. Early in the season I'll have athletes do 5-6 repeats, building to 15-20 further into the season.

When training to climb better it is important to work on both seated and standing climbing. Standing up when you hit a steep section is a good way to get up quicker and spread the load over more muscles but it only works if you work at it. When doing hill repeats, alternate doing one time up seated and the next standing. Just remember to switch a gear or two harder before you stand up as your cadence drops when you stand.

If you are a mountain biker, then heading up to your local ski hill is the best place to work on your climbing. You can do either long or steep and as it takes less time to go down than up you will spend more of your ride time climbing.

Bodyweight

This one is really simple. For the same fitness, the lighter you are the faster you will go up hill. Power to weight ratio is an exact science among pro roadies. For every 5lb you lose you will be 30 seconds faster over 5km of climbing at 7 percent grade. If like me, you can't see your abs then work at cutting weight and you will see a big improvement in your climbing ability. Don't lose weight too quickly though as it can negatively affect your power output. 1-2 lb per week is a safe level of weight lose without sacrificing energy you'll need to train.

Core and upper body endurance

The legs are the prime movers on the bike but the support muscles like your arms, abs and lower back work constantly while riding. Over time they get tired and your pedaling form suffers. When it comes to climbing they work even harder so the fitter you are in your support muscles the longer and faster you will be able to climb. While your core can be the weak link on the bike the best way to train it is off the bike cross training. See the workout below to improve your core fitness and climb better.

Mental focus

I won't lie to you, climbing is hard work. That is where both the challenge and reward come from. Part of climbing well is mental. Don't look upon that big hill with dread. See it as a challenge to overcome. Keep telling yourself in your head that you are a good climber. Attack the little climbs like you own them.

Core Workout to improve your hillclimbing

Do this workout 2-3 times per week and you will notice an improvement in your cycling within 4 weeks. Try to do the workout with as little rest as possible between exercises. Do a set of each exercise, moving to the next immediately for a total of three circuits. 

As you become fitter build up to a total of 5 rounds.

3 rounds

15 dumbbell swings
15 Spiderman pushups
15 Sumo deadlift high pulls
15 seconds each of front planks and side planks to each side (build to 30 seconds)

This workout won't take much time but will do a lot to improve your hill climbing. Put in consistent work and you will see progress in a very short time.

 Source: Winston Endall |GO

HOW TO SET YOURSELF UP FOR A PRODUCTIVE DAY