Gorilla Chin Crunch For Abs, Lats and Biceps

Video: This exercise works your abs as well as the lats and biceps.

How to Get Washboard Abs

Are washboard abs your dream? Do you want a flat, firm stomach? This article will examine how to lose your belly fat.

You need to realize that your belly is the first area where you will see large amounts of fat accumulate and it is the last area where you will lose it. That’s why you will sometimes see otherwise fit people with a little bit of a pouch. Even people who go to the gym regularly and mostly eat right can be concerned with their stomachs because every mistake is written there. How to lose your belly fat starts with the concept that you’ve got to be in pretty good shape to start with.

If you are 50 pounds over weight, you shouldn’t be concerned with how to lose your belly fat right now. Your present concern is losing the extra weight. A general combination of diet and cardio and strength training exercises is what you want to focus on.

If you are at your ideal weight or weigh 5 pounds more, then you can start worrying about how to lose your belly fat. At this point, you have a good chance of really tackling the problem.

Most people advocate sit ups or crunches to take off this last little bit. Indeed, sometimes “belly fat” isn’t fat at all but untoned muscles.

If you do have belly fat, a step up from sit ups and crunches is using a stability ball. Scientists at Sacramento State University in California took muscle fiber samples from people who regularly did crunches and people who regularly used a stability ball and found that the ball users had twice the muscle fiber. This $30 piece of equipment that you can buy at a sporting goods store is well worth the investment.

Next, consider exercises that bring your legs level to or above your waist. Many people have found that kickboxing is an excellent activity to give them flat stomachs. Not only are you getting a great cardio workout with kickboxing, but you are also moving your legs above your waist line. This is important, because it works out the muscles in your lower belly.

Dancing is also an activity that can help you get the perfect stomach. All kinds of dancing are good, but (and this one is mostly for the ladies), belly dancing specifically targets the muscles in that region. Join a belly dancing class at the local community center or just get video tapes that show you how to do it.

Don’t rely solely on cardio type activities though. You need to be building your muscle mass. Remember that muscle burns fat and when you have more muscle, you are burning fat all day long not just when you work out.

Many people focus on their stomachs as a sore point when they are really overweight all over. For them, I say “get in shape.” Only then will you lose the belly fat.

But, if you are fit, losing the tummy can be the result of doing specific exercises that target the problem area.

And, that’s how to lose your belly fat.

Wide Grip Lat Pull Downs Work the Shoulders, Middle Back

Now after working out your shoulders the next part of the body that needs extra care is your back. Many men would definitely agree to the fact that they hit the gym not just to lose all those extra pounds but to attain that perfect V-shape body. They strive really hard to get that perfect look. After all, bigger shoulders and a lean V-shape body is every man?s dream.

As read above, the key to real bodybuilding is adding muscle mass to your shoulders to make them look bigger than they really are. The broader the shoulder the leaner you look. Now that doesn?t mean that you just work on your shoulder to get the v shape body you always dreamt of. There are certain exercises that need to be practiced to attain the V-shape body you always wanted. One of the exercises that work on the arms, shoulder as well as back muscle is wider grip lat pull down exercise. When you do wide grip lat pull exercise, it exerts pressure on your biceps and middle back, especially the triangular muscles on either side of the back, thereby helping you build a stronger back and also improve your body posture.

Learn how to perform wide grip lat pull down exercise:

Be it beginners or advanced body builders it is always advisable to start with warm up exercises as it helps you loosen your body muscles and prepare yourself for your main exercises. A warm up exercise mainly includes very light aerobic exercise for 10 to 15 minutes.

Once you are done with the warm ups, sit on the cable station above, which will have a long bar attached, suspended from the cable. Make yourself comfortable by taking a steady position using the pads above your knees. This will help you when you apply effort to pull down the bar. Now grab the long bar attached to the cable, while your palms are facing away from you and while your hands are a little more apart than your usual shoulder width. This will be your starting position.

Now from the starting position pull the bar closer to your chest. Let your shoulders remain downward throughout the movement. When you pull the bar, raise your chest and slightly push your elbows a little forward, forming a curl on your back to separate your lats.

As you exhale, bring the bars close to your chest and press your lats.

Now inhale and slowly push the bar upward, leaving it in the former position, while you get back to your starting position.

Repeat this exercise until the sets are completed. Each set should involve a minimum of 10-12 reps

Benefits:

If this exercise is done properly, then it helps you get a stronger and a broader back and also improves your body posture. If you wish to get a perfect V-shape between your shoulders and your waist then this is the best exercise for you. But remember if done incorrectly then it may hit you very badly instead of helping you get the shape.

Target Your Back with Bent Over T-Bar Rows

One of the best exercises for your back is bent over t-bar rows. This will concentrate on your middle back. The exercise will help build the muscles on your back while making it stronger. It will also go after your lats and biceps and help increase their strength.

You will need an Olympic barbell for doing the bend over t-bar rows. Place a weight only on one end of the Olympic barbell. Make sure the weight is something you will be able to lift up comfortably.

You do not want the barbell sliding backwards while exercising. In order to get the bar in place, lodge the end in the corner of a wall or put something heavy behind the bar.

Place each foot on the side of the bar, and make sure they are flat on the ground. Slightly bend your knees and lower your body until it is almost parallel with the ground.

Stretch out your arms and grab a hold of the bar. When grabbing the bar place your hands one in front of the other just behind the weight. Your palms will be facing in toward each other. Now slowly lift the bar up until you can rest your bottom hand on your knee. You are now in the starting position.

Best exercises for your back tip: Please make sure to drink plenty of water throughout this routine.

While exhaling and keeping your elbows close to your torso, start to slowly raise the bar up toward your chest. Keep raising the bar until the weight touches the lower chest. In order to help build strength in the middle back, while you are lifting the weight up, start squeezing the muscles in your back. When the weight is touching your chest hold this position for a couple of seconds. Do not arch your back while doing this. Keeping your back straight is very important otherwise you can easily hurt your back.

While inhaling, start lowering the bar back to the starting position. By lowering the bar slowly you will feel it pulling on your lats.

The bent over t-bar rows is not about seeing how much weight you can use. Be sensible and only use the 25 pound plate. This plate will give you the most range of motion and will give the desired workout to your middle back.

Take your time when doing this exercise and concentrate on what you are doing. If you are trying to see how quick you can perform the exercise, or are not paying attention your back will pay the price. If you do the bent over t-bar rows correctly your back will not get hurt and you will build the muscles on it.

When you are done exercising gently place the weight on the floor and slowly stand up. Stretch your back a little and even walk around for a minute.

Now that your back is stretched and the muscles have been warmed up you are ready to proceed with the next exercise. All of this is what makes bent over t-bar rows the best exercises for your back. This exercise is going to stretch some more back muscles.

How to do a hamstring curl on a stability ball

Video: The hamstring curl targets your hamstrings, glutes and calves. A great lower body exercise

Cable Crossover

Video: This exercise requires a cable machine and helps to strengthen both the shoulder and chest muscles.

Save Money, Eat Better by Buying Your Food in Bulk

It’s no secret in the United States that eating unhealthy is often the easier, cheaper option. One visit to the specialty health food stores would convince anybody that eating healthy isn’t cost-effective. The word “organic” has become synonymous with “expensive” and many people have repeatedly turned back to frozen television dinners after being dismayed at the cost of “eating healthy”.

An idea for those who would like to bring more lean meats and vegetables into their diets is to consider buying food in bulk and storing the excess in a freezer. Many bulk food companies have cropped up in recent years, most requiring a membership to take part in the deals they offer. While paying for a membership to buy food may not seem to be in line with “living on the cheap” if the membership is managed correctly and used to purchase things with the idea of storing them up and eating them over an extended period of time, the decision to partake may end up being cheaper than purchasing processed food.

The way to make bulk food work for you and your family is to appropriately plan for the ways in which you use the food and be able to store it properly. A freezer will go a long way toward keeping bulk food in good condition for a long period of time. If the freezer in your daily refrigerator isn’t large enough to be able to compensate for the amount of food you buy in bulk, purchasing a separate freezer may help you save money in the long run.

Another way to make the most out of bulk food is to consider buying a vacuum sealer. These allow you to remove the air from bags with much higher competency as compared to simply rolling the air out of Ziploc style bags. This is a great way to help save opened containers of both meat and vegetables by protecting them from freezer burn.

Buying food in bulk is a great way to help get healthier items into your kitchen while saving money. There may be a bit of an initial investment in the extra freezer, bulk food store memberships, and vacuum sealers required to make the most of buying your food in bulk. Good luck with eating healthier ?

Stationary bike warm up

Video: Warming up is a very important part of your workout. If you have a stationary bike, riding it for 5-10 minutes is a great way to warm up.

Use Fresh Peaches in This Peach Cucumber Salsa

Ingredients

2 cups diced peeled pitted ripe but firm peaches

1 cup diced unpeeled hothouse cucumber (English kind is best)

3/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons apricot preserves

1 teaspoon chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce.

Directions

Mix all ingredients in medium bowl. Season salsa to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Stir to blend before serving.)

How to perform Superman/Superwoman

Video: Your shoulders, stomach, hips, lower back and glutes are all being worked in this isometric hold.