Two Moves to Bulletproof Your Back and Knees
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You’re mentally prepared for your upcoming obstacle course race. Ready to jump over the pit of flames. Ready to crawl through mud during a downpour. Ready to scale a wall of any size. But are your back and knees ready, too? Like any sport involving intense running and jumping, OCR can put the hurt on your joints. But even if your lower body feels a little creaky, you can still achieve your dirt-splattered fantasies, says Gerren Liles, a personal trainer and a Reebok-sponsored athlete with more than 20 obstacle course races under his belt. “The good thing about these races: They’re scalable for all types of fitness levels,” Liles says. While some OCRs require burpees, box jumps, or wall climbs, which may be nonstarters for someone with bad knees, races always allow for modifications, he says. That said, it’s important to know why your joints hurt to help target the issue. “If there are knee issues, it’s either related to structural damage like torn ligaments or from knots and tightened muscles that pull on the joint,” Liles says. Consult a doctor to determine which it is. If it’s the latter, Liles recommends foam rolling or sports massages to remove the knots from the muscle fibers. You should start training four to six weeks before your race, with three to four sessions a week, which still leaves ample time for mobility work. For lower-back pain, the culprit is often tight hip muscles and a weak core, Liles says. Again, consult your doctor to know for sure. If you have a weak midsection, strengthen it by adding core exercises to your routine. Start by holding planks for as long as possible; try to work up to a minute straight. If tight hips are the problem, add stretches into your post-workout cooldown. [RELATED2] The Workout: The Backup PlanTwo moves to loosen up your hips and help combat lower-back pain: How to Do It: Perform two sets of five reps for each of the two stretches pre-workout. Lizard Stretch: From a pushup position, bring your left foot forward so it’s next to your left hand. Lower your left elbow to the floor, allowing your right arm to bend slightly. Hold for 5 seconds, then return to a pushup position. Switch sides. Pigeon Stretch: Lie on your back with your left foot planted on the ground, leg bent at roughly 90 degrees. Bring your right leg up, and lay your shin over the front of your left knee. Try to turn your right knee away from you until you feel a stretch. Hold for a few seconds and then switch sides. [RELATED1]
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Fitness via Muscle & Fitness http://bit.ly/2zjtGBz December 21, 2018 at 11:59AM
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The 5 Ways Ironman World-Record Holder Tim Don Recovered From a Broken Neck
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Fitness via Muscle & Fitness http://bit.ly/2zjtGBz December 21, 2018 at 11:52AM
20 Ways to Eat for More Muscle
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Fitness via Muscle & Fitness http://bit.ly/2zjtGBz December 21, 2018 at 08:33AM
Rethink Your Warm Up
http://bit.ly/2QNxxAH You come in, you hop on a rower, or maybe you absentmindedly pedal an Airdyne while scrolling Instagram. Then you walk over, grab a PVC pipe and do some borderline terrible dislocates, a few half range of motion squats, and then it's time to get to work, right? Does this sound familiar?
There's a lot more to warming up than just arbitrarily moving around. Instead of wasting 10-15 minutes of your sessions every day, you could start using this valuable time to build your work capacity and increase your technical proficiency and coordination—this is especially important for beginners. Here are some basic examples of some warm-up variations that you can use if you train yourself or others and have found yourself sticking to the same 1-2 basic (and boring) upper or lower body warm-ups.
Warm Up 1Three rounds, not for time, at around 50-60% intensity.
Warm Up 2Two rounds, not for time, at around 50-60% intensity with 30 seconds of rest between rounds.
Warm Up 3Three rounds, increasing intensity each round (50%, 60%, 70%) with 1 min rest between each round
Warm Up 4
Make Your Warm-Up CountAs you can see, these are full body warm-ups, done well below maximum intensity. This provides an opportunity to practice technical skills (ski, row, kettlebell swing), build some work capacity (squats, pull-ups, cardiovascular endurance), and improve coordination (bear crawls, swings, kettlebells, ski, row, running).
These warm-ups are easy to scale this down for beginners—decrease loading, increase rest times, remove or change movements, etc. This should get you breathing (but not too hard), sweaty, and prepared for the work to follow. But, it can't be so hard that it interferes with the day's workout. There's a line there, and the line gets thinner if you're not so fit. If you're very fit, then there's more room to play with warm-ups.
If you're writing your own warm-ups, this is a good place to insert skills and movements you want to work on while not under large amounts of cardiovascular duress. You can't really learn a skill while under the stress of a workout for time. You need to really focus on the skill to improve that skill. Rethink your warm up and design it so it makes you better.
Fitness via Breaking Muscle http://bit.ly/1hdUh1E December 21, 2018 at 08:28AM
6 Tips for First-time Obstacle Course Racers
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The Arnold Press Workout Finisher for Ripped Shoulders
https://ift.tt/2SWnk1A What Is It: The Arnold press—made famous by seven-time Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger—is a compound movement that combines a dumbbell shoulder press with a rotation at the bottom. But here, Jennifer Romanelli, a personal trainer and the co-owner of Trooper Fitness in New York City, gives it her own twist by deconstructing the lift into a pyramid set, featuring the two distinct parts of the move—the rotation and the press. Why Do It: “This is the triple threat of shoulder movements, hitting all three sections of the deltoid [the front, the middle, and the rear head] to ensure you end up with boulder shoulders,” Romanelli says. When To Do It: “The Arnold press itself can be added as a superset on chest or shoulder day,” says Romanelli. And she notes that the pyramid set employed here is a great burnout at the end of a shoulder workout. How To Do It: Do regular Arnold presses with light weight to loosen your shoulders. Then sit on a bench and grab two moderate-to-heavy dumbbells. Start with the weights at your shoulders, with your palms facing in. Perform one rotation, moving your arms outward so your palms face forward. Then do one shoulder press. Return to the starting position and do two rotations back-to-back, followed by two presses. Continue in this fashion until you’ve done five reps of each. The Workout: Press Pyramid
Tip: Do 1 rotation and 1 press, followed by 2 rotations and 2 presses, continuing this pattern until you’ve completed 5 of each. That’s 1 set. Safety Tips: This move can be taxing on the rotator cuff, so if you experience any pain, stop immediately. [RELATED1]
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Fitness via Muscle & Fitness https://ift.tt/2zjtGBz December 20, 2018 at 01:50PM
5 Tips for Training Discipline This New Year
https://ift.tt/2QFTEsS Between work meetings, having kids, being in school, or whatever responsibilities you may have in your life, it is inevitable that you get busy. This may lead to finding it difficult to stay on track with your health and fitness goals. You might have said yes to one, two, or all of those things and while I have empathy for them, I must ask what you're doing to work around them and achieve your goal?
Motivation Versus DisciplineIf you think about fitness goals in general, the word motivation is often front of the mind. During this time of year, that only compiles.
You see these people in the gym, or this may even be you, and after two months that “motivation” feeling fizzles out. Life gets to you, putting you right back where you started from. That strong feeling you had to make changes slowly starts to fade as things start to happen around you that derail you from the path of your goals.
This is why I believe motivation to be an over-used, and over-relied on tool within the fitness industry. It is true that everyone has to start somewhere—every fire starts from one spark. I am not saying it’s a bad thing to have motivation. I am saying, however, it’s all about what you do to continue those habits the motivation creates.
Discipline is the big brother to motivation. It will always reign over the little brother—always reminding it why it is better. It’s the way you see the certain people every single day in the gym. It’s the way you follow someone on social media eating the same thing at the same time day in and day out, they learned discipline.
This can go for anything in life. I can assure you the best CEOs of the world, or Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan, or the amazing single mom or dad, all have one thing in common. That one thing would be discipline.
The way to stay on track when you aren’t feeling the spark of the motivation anymore is to learn and practice discipline. This is staying on your routine relentlessly, being able to find ways to work around obstacles that inevitably will come up.
Life is not an A+B=C equation, things happen along the way that divides, subtracts, and all the other crazy symbols math has provided us. Learning how to continuously keep finding the solution when life throws you for a complicated equation, will undoubtedly lead you to down the right path of achievement.
The importance of following a routine consistently, is not about being perfect every single day, every single meal, and every single workout, it's more about creating habits. You don’t have to be perfect to create habits, just be consistent.
Those same people who stick to their diet, who go to the gym five days a week, who work countless hours on their craft, they all have created habits in their life. Everyone has habits, some are just different than others. When you create habits based on your health and fitness, they will be routine.
It won’t seem impossible to go to the gym five days a week or eat vegetables with every meal. That will be your normal life. These will be the things that you have done consistently over a duration of time, to create habits you can now have every day. Motivation is overrated, discipline is what sets people apart.
What will be covered below are some tips and strategies to ensure your nutrition, workouts, and mind are able to stay on track even when faced with adversity.
Tip 1 - Use Liquid CaloriesThe first tip is something people tend to forget a lot about, and that's liquid calories. Now, some people do a protein shake, but they stop there. In reality, you can take that a step further, and create a whole meal. This meal can include all the proper nutrients to fuel your metabolism.
Take that protein shake a step farther, and add in a scoop of a greens powder supplement. Then, add one tablespoon of flaxseed oil. This creates a whole meal. Protein, greens, and healthy fats—a perfect recipe for a lean body.
Tip 2 - Easy, Edible OptionsWhether you work at a desk or do a lot of traveling, or just are running around with your kids on a Saturday, easy things to grab and eat are crucial. Examples of these could be greek yogurt or low-fat cheese sticks for protein sources.
Packs of nuts or almonds can be easy. Preparing your vegetables overnight and keeping them in ziplock bags, or buy pre-packaged greens i.e. carrots.
Tip 3 - Research Your SurroundingsIf you know you’re going to be traveling, or are in a new area, it’s a good idea to check what’s available. You can research restaurants to look over their menu. You can ask to get a macronutrient breakdown. Proper preparation prevents poor performance.
Tip 4 - Have a Time-Efficient Workout RoutineVarious events during the day can lead to you may not be able to get to the gym or complete your regularly scheduled workout routine. This is why rather than just missing the whole workout day together, it’s a good idea to have a workout routine together that can keep you on track.
If your goal is to lose weight, an effective workout can be a 20 minute HIIT bodyweight circuit. If you want to build some muscle a 10 sets of 10 reps workout with push-ups, squats, lunge hops, and leg raises can be effective as well. These workouts are not to crush your personal bests, rather just keep you on track and be consistent.
Tip 5 - Plan Your Day The Night BeforeIt can be very helpful to take five to ten minutes to look ahead the night before and plan things out. If you plan ahead you will know what may hinder you from staying on track and that may make eating difficult—that’s when you know you may have to take those liquid calories.
Traveling is an instance that may necessitate one of those quick workouts. Fitness via Breaking Muscle https://ift.tt/1GxgPEe December 20, 2018 at 10:52AM
5 Exercise Variations for Sleeve-Busting Triceps
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Fitness via Muscle & Fitness https://ift.tt/2zjtGBz December 20, 2018 at 10:04AM WWE's The Miz on 'Tribute to the Troops' 'Miz & Mrs.' and His Undying Love of the Cleveland Browns12/20/2018
WWE's The Miz on 'Tribute to the Troops,' 'Miz & Mrs.,' and His Undying Love of the Cleveland Browns
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Courtesy WWE
WWE's annual Tribute to the Troops has entertained America's armed forces for 16 years, and The Miz has been there for 13 of them, by his count. “I've been to Bahrain, I've been to Iraq, Afghanistan, Spain, Poland, Abu Dhabi, you know, all over the world," he says. "Going over there, and actually seeing the lives that they lead...it's incredible, man.” Miz, real name Mike Mizanin, is well known for his boisterous and outspoken personality, which he honed during his TV debut on MTV's Real World and its spinoff Road Rules Challenge. Arguably one of his most memorable moments in WWE was a segment on Talking Smack when he exploded on Daniel Bryan and preceded to tell the WWE Universe that Smackdown was “[his] show:” However, when we spoke to The Miz for an interview about the Tribute shows, it's clear that he's humbled by his experiences speaking to and performing for military personnel, telling us, “I remember meeting a Sergeant, and he showed me a picture of a woman and a baby at an autograph signing, and he goes, 'You met my daughter before I met her.' I couldn't believe it! That's what these service men and women put forth, you know?” Miz may not be an armed serviceman, but he does play one on film. Since 2013, he's starred in the titular role in The Marine film series, following in the footsteps of John Cena. The impact his role has on members of the military is not lost on him. “When I heard I was gonna be The Marine, I [thought], 'Okay, I have a big duty to make sure that everything I do, I look, walk, talk and act like a Marine, because these guys are real life superheroes. These are the men and women that make the ultimate sacrifice for us, so the little thing that I can do is literally hone in my craft and really make sure that I do a good job for them.'” While he appreciates the praise he gets from military servicemen and women for his role in The Marine, he also makes it clear to them that, “I am just an actor, you know, acting. [They're] the [people] that [are] actually doing." When asked what stands out to him the most throughout his years doing Tribute to the Troops, Miz recalls a visit to Iraq. “I remember getting in an armed vehicle and there was an orange pole sticking out of it. It was really out of place. I [asked the driver], 'What's with the orange pole?' He goes, 'Dude, that saves our lives. It heats up the landmine before it blows us up.' I go, 'Has that ever happened?' He goes, 'Yeah, it happened yesterday.' Like it's a nonchalant everyday type of thing!" Beyond Tribute to the Troops, Miz is also hosting a marathon for his reality show Miz and Mrs., which was recently renewed for a second season. Many may find the way Miz lives in front of the camera 24/7 to be emotionally draining, but he relishes in it. “Ever since I was a kid, I've always [been] a ham for the camera, anytime there's a video camera anywhere," he says. "There was a huge VHS video recorder that my dad would have, and I would make videos on it, I would have so much fun editing stuff. So I enjoy it, you know?” Miz also doesn't try to claim that everything on Miz and Mrs. is true to life, and refers to it as a “hybrid reality.” “What we want to do is make sure that everyone is entertained. It doesn't matter if it's real or it's not - all that matters is that you're laughing, you're sitting with your family, and enjoying yourself,” he explains. Between WWE, a TV/movie star, and the father of a young child (Monroe Sky) with his wife Maryse, we wondered how on earth he manages to stay fit on such a tight schedule. Turns out he's still trying to figure that out himself. “Being a new dad, that's the hardest thing that I've ever had to deal with, 'cause you're ... now you're dealing with no sleep, because whenever Monroe is up, I am up," he says. "But actually, I'm building a gym at my house.” If you can't go to the gym, might as well bring it to you, right? However, despite the chaos, Miz still takes time to focus on his diet, which he feels is the most important part of staying in shape. “Everything is 90% diet. You wanna lose weight? You look at your diet. It's not go for an hour run, you look at your diet. If I get a sweet potato [at a restaurant], I don't want any of that butter, I don't want any of that brown sugar. I want it plain, clean, and that's the best way you could do it. “ Before the end of the interview, we couldn't help but ask him how he feels about his eternal love for his hometown Cleveland Browns, a team once infamous for going over 600 days without a win. This season, things are finally looking up for the Browns after a major coaching shakeup, so we wondered if Miz finally felt vindicated in his fandom. “Vindicated? No," he says. "Do I feel that the Browns are changing the landscape, and changing the view and perception of what we were? Absolutely. I want a winning record. I want eight wins, I wanna be 8-7-1. If we do that, going from an 0-16 team, that is incredible.” Well, if the Browns could shock the NFL world by touting a respectable record this season, then maybe we shouldn't be so surprised that someone as over-the-top as the Miz really can be a humble guy in real life. Tribute to the Troops will air this Thursday at 9/8c on USA Network as part of WWE Holiday Week.
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Fitness via Muscle & Fitness https://ift.tt/2zjtGBz December 20, 2018 at 09:40AM
The Classic Physique Division Is Getting a New Style of Posing Trunks
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Chris Nicoll
The men’s Classic Physique division has taken the NPC and IFBB Pro League by storm, quickly rising in popularity since its introduction in 2016. Created to bridge the wide gap between Bodybuilding and Men’s Physique, “Classic Physique is for guys who want to take their muscularity and size beyond the limits of Men’s Physique, but not quite to the extremes of Bodybuilding,” NPC/IFBB Pro League president Jim Manion said. “Classic Physique highlights proportion, symmetry, pleasing lines, and a small waist. The focus is on aesthetic qualities in harmony with muscularity and condition.” To date, the competition-wear for the division has been black Classic Physique shorts like the ones pictured above, but the NPC and IFBB Pro League have heard plenty of requests to change the shorts to more traditional posing trunks that don’t cover the upper thighs and hamstrings. The NPC and IFBB Pro League listened, and the request has been granted. As of January 1, 2019 all Classic Physique competitors in both the NPC and IFBB Pro League will be required to wear the new Classic Physique posing trunks. You can take a look at these new trunks in the Instagram embed below. And to order yours, visit https://npcwear.com.
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Fitness via Muscle & Fitness https://ift.tt/2zjtGBz December 20, 2018 at 08:20AM |
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