4 Minute Tabata Workout
4 Minute Tabata Workout
Tabata is probably the most popular style of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). It involves completing 8 exercises successively and performing each exercise for 20 seconds at a high intensity followed by 10 seconds of rest. While a 4 minute workout may sound deceptively simple, tabata workouts are one of the most challenging routines you’ll come across. Keep reading for full details of this HIIT Tabata workout.
Exercise 1 – Burpees
Burpees are a fantastic bodyweight exercise that give you a full body workout while also firing up your cardiovascular fitness. To perform burpees, follow the instructions below:
- Bend your knees and put your hands on the ground so that they’re parallel with your chest and around a shoulder width apart.
- Kick your legs out behind you, bend your arms and lower your body down toward the ground, stopping when your nose touches the ground.
- Straighten your arms, kick your legs back in, stand up and jump in the air.
- When you land, repeat steps 1-3 for as many repetitions as you can manage within 20 seconds.
- Rest for 10 seconds and then move onto the next exercise.
Exercise 2 – Skaters
Skaters are a great lower body exercise that improve your balance, coordination and reflexes. To perform skaters, follow the instructions below:
- Stand up straight with a slight bend in your knees and your arms by your side.
- Lean forward at the waist while keeping your lower back flat and your core muscles tight.
- Take a long step to the right with your right leg, place your right foot flat on the ground, then step across with your left leg and place your left toes on the ground behind your right leg.
- Take a long step to the left with your left leg, place your left foot flat on the ground, then step across with your right leg and place your right toes on the ground behind your left leg.
- Repeat steps 3-4 for as many repetitions as you can manage within 20 seconds.
- Rest for 10 seconds and then move onto the next exercise.
Exercise 3 – Plank Jacks
Plank jacks are a fast paced variation on regular planks that involve hopping your legs in and out. To perform plank jacks, follow the instructions below:
- Kneel down on the ground and then place your forearms on the ground, making sure that they’re in line with your head.
- Straighten your legs, lift your knees off the ground, tighten your core muscles and support your body on your toes and forearms.
- Once your body is fully supported, jump both your feet off the ground, widen your legs as far as you can manage and land in this position.
- Jump both your feet off ground, bring your legs back together and land in this position.
- Repeat steps 3-4 for as many repetitions as you can manage within 20 seconds.
- Rest for 10 seconds and then move onto the next exercise.
Exercise 4 – Bicycle Crunches
Bicycle crunches are a top exercise for tightening and toning your abs. To perform bicycle crunches, follow the instructions below:
- Lie down on the ground with your legs straight out in front of you, your hands by your ears and your elbows pointing outward.
- Raise your legs off the ground, keep your left leg straight and bend your right knee toward your chest.
- At the same time, rotate your upper body toward your right knee and touch it with your right elbow.
- Straighten your right leg and bend your left knee toward your chest.
- At the same time, rotate your upper body toward your left knee and touch it with your left elbow.
- Repeat steps 2-5 for as many repetitions as you can manage within 20 seconds.
- Rest for 10 seconds and then move onto the next exercise.
Exercise 5 – Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers are similar to burpees but place more emphasis on your lower body. To perform mountain climbers, follow the instructions below:
- Bend your knees and put your hands on the ground, making sure that they’re about a shoulder width apart.
- Straighten your right leg out behind you, bend your left leg and point your butt up toward the ceiling.
- Jump both feet off the ground simultaneously and switch your leg position so that your left leg is now straight out behind you and your right leg is now bent.
- Jump both feet off the ground simultaneously and switch your leg position so that your right leg is now straight out behind you and your left leg is now bent.
- Repeat steps 3-4 for as many repetitions as you can manage within 20 seconds.
- Rest for 10 seconds and then move onto the next exercise.
Exercise 6 – Punches
Punches are a simple but effective exercise that engage your upper body and get you fighting fit. To perform punches, follow the instructions below:
- Stand in a wide stance with your toes facing outward and your knees bent.
- Tuck your elbows into your body, bend your arms so that your hands are just below your chin and clench your fists.
- Straighten your left arm and throw a punch while twisting the left side of your body into the punch.
- Bend your left arm back into the starting position while straightening your right arm, throwing a punch and twisting the right side of your body into the punch.
- Repeat steps 3-4 for as many repetitions as you can manage within 20 seconds.
- Rest for 10 seconds and then move onto the next exercise.
Exercise 7 – 180 Jump Squats
180 jump squats are a fun, challenging exercise that combine squatting, jumping and twisting in one fluid motion. To perform 180 jump squats, follow the instructions below:
- Stand up straight with your feet a shoulder width apart and your arms clasped together in front of you.
- Bend your legs and lower your body down, stopping when your butt is parallel with your knees.
- Straighten your legs and lift your body back up to the starting position, then jump in the air as high as you can and rotate your body 180 degrees.
- Repeat steps 2-3 for as many repetitions as you can manage within 20 seconds.
- Rest for 10 seconds and then move onto the next exercise.
Exercise 8 – Lunge Kicks
Lunge kicks enhance your flexibility, boost your cardiovascular fitness and tone up your lower body. To perform lunge kicks, follow the instructions below:
- Stand up straight and place your hands on your hips.
- Take a big step backward with your left leg, slowly bend both of your legs and lower your body down toward the ground, stopping just before your left knee touches the ground.
- Slowly straighten both of your legs, step forward, kick with your left leg and land in the starting position.
- Take a big step backward with your right leg, slowly bend both of your legs and lower your body down toward the ground, stopping just before your right knee touches the ground.
- Slowly straighten both of your legs, step forward, kick with your right leg and land in the starting position.
- Repeat steps 2-5 for as many reps as you can manage within 20 seconds.
- Rest for 10 seconds and then complete the workout.
Workout Summary Chart
| Phase | Exercise | Time (seconds) |
| 1 | Burpees | 20 |
| 2 | Rest | 10 |
| 3 | Skaters | 20 |
| 4 | Rest | 10 |
| 5 | Plank Jacks | 20 |
| 6 | Rest | 10 |
| 7 | Bicycle Crunches | 20 |
| 8 | Rest | 10 |
| 9 | Mountain Climbers | 20 |
| 10 | Rest | 10 |
| 11 | Punches | 20 |
| 12 | Rest | 10 |
| 13 | 180 Jump Squats | 20 |
| 14 | Rest | 10 |
| 15 | Lunge Kicks | 20 |
| 16 | Rest | 10 |
If you lead a busy lifestyle and never seem to have time to workout, this 4 minute HIIT Tabata workout is the perfect solution. No matter how packed your schedule is, you can always find time for it and by performing the workout on a regular basis, your health and fitness levels will improve substantially.
Get Leaner with Protein Weight Loss tips
Protein has always been promoted by muscle heads as the key to getting it. While the extreme amounts of protein consumed by some bodybuilders is unnecessarily extreme, the research has shown time and time again that more protein is better when it comes to fat loss.
One study found that after 8 weeks, people who ate more protein lost an extra 2.8lbs of fat. Another study found that following a higher protein diet for 12 weeks led to an additional 1.5lbs of fat lost specific to the abdomen. Finally, another study in women found that 12 weeks of eating twice the ‘recommended intake’ of protein led to greater fat loss and greater increases in lean mass (e.g. muscle).
How does eating more protein do this?
Protein & Fat Loss Hormones
Part of the beneficial effects of fat loss have to do with the hormones that it stimulates. When the protein you eat hits your digestive tract, it causes the release of a hormone called CCK. CCK acts very quickly to slow the digestive process, slowing the rate in which foods is released from your stomach. This is step one is making you feel full – helping you eat less. CCK also signals your brain that you should no longer be hungry.
More Protein = Less Calories
The appetite suppressing effects of protein work right away with the meal that you are eating and it also makes you feel more satisfied after the meal is over. This will make you eat less without even trying. One study showed that eating a higher protein diet lead to people eating greater than 400 calories per day less!
Protein Burns More Calories
Protein helps you burn more calories in two different ways. The first is through the calories burned to digest and process food. It takes your body ~2x energy to digest protein compared to carbohydrates.
A majority of the protein that you eat is used to build and rebuild your muscle. Muscle loss while dieting is a big concern, as muscle burns calories. The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn (even just sitting on the couch). Optimizing your protein intake and exercising with intensity ensures that you won’t lose any muscle, you might gain some!
You get it, protein is key for optimal fat loss. So how do you optimize your protein intake?
Eat More Protein
Chances are that you are eating the recommended amount of protein. This means that you aren’t going to be suffering from protein malnutrition. But it does mean that you could still be anywhere between 20-40g away from an ideal or optimal intake of protein so that you can reap the benefits we have been talking about.
Eat Protein More Evenly
People generally eat a lot of protein at dinner and smaller amounts of protein at breakfast and lunch. Research shows that by just spreading your protein intake out more evenly throughout the day (not necessarily eating more) can lead to a 25% increase in protein synthesis (e.g. muscle building).
Have a Protein Shake After Exercise
Exercise has a profound effect on your body and having a protein shake after you exercise can increase the impact of that effect. A protein shake is a convenient way to quickly get quality amino acids into your body. This will boost the muscle building potential of your workout while also jumpstarting the recovery process so you can train harder the next workout.
Have an Afternoon Protein Snack
An afternoon protein snack like Greek yogurt, a protein shake, or bar might be the key to controlling unwanted snacking at night. Research shows that protein acts on your brain to dampen the craving effects that high fat/calorie/sugar foods have on your brain. This effect lasts several hours.
Protein for Your Heart!
Many of the benefits of protein are often associated with dieting and fat loss but optimizing your protein intake is also good for your heart. The OmniHeart study looked at the role of increased protein in a heart healthy diet compared to a traditional approach, or increasing unsaturated fat.
The researchers found that the high protein diet led to the greatest improvements in blood pressure and 10 year risk of cardiovascular disease.
Protein is not just good for your abs, but your heart too!
Holiday Weight Gain
4 Simple Steps for Surviving Holiday Parties
Holiday weight gain happens to everyone, right? Not you. Not this year.
Holiday Weight Gain Basics
Research has shown that Americans are gaining more weight each year with most of the gain occurring between October and February.
The weight gain during this time of year can be attributed in large part to the increase in social eating situations. Have you been gaining weight slowly over the past several years? Do you always gain a little weight during the holidays, promise yourself you’ll lose it after the first of the year, but never really get around to it??
It’s okay, be honest.
The best plan is a proactive one. If you can avoid putting on the extra weight in the first place, then you won’t have to go through the much more difficult process of losing it. Fortunately, curbing your holiday weight gain is actually very simple.
Below, I have outlined 4 action steps that you can use to prevent holiday weight gain.
- Pre-Eat
The worst choice you can make is going to a holiday party on an empty stomach. This is setting yourself up for complete and utter disaster. Pre-eat before you go, with a small amount of food that will increase your feeling of fullness, prevent cravings, and slow the digestion of any foods that you do eat when you go out. My top pre-eating foods are:
Small Salad – This has been consistently shown in scientific studies to reduce the amount of food you eat in the subsequent meal. Having a salad before you go to a party, or having a salad as your first item at the party, could help you eat 200-300 calories less.
Apple & String Cheese – The apple provides fiber and volume while the string cheese provides fat and protein. These components will signal your body that you are full and slow down digestion (making you feel full longer).
- Skip The Crackers
Most holiday parties are loaded with breads, crackers, cookies and cakes. Just say no. Loading up on these starchy carbohydrates will send your blood sugar levels for a ride. This, along with the lack of fiber in these foods, will cause you to end up eating a lot of them and quickly stack up the calories….Honestly, when was the last time you ate just one cracker? Exactly. Skip the crackers.
- Shrimp & Veggies Please
So, what can you eat? Shrimp, smoked fish, cheese, and vegetables (not the fried ones) are staples at holiday cocktail parties and are all good choices. Many parties also have a featured meat item that would work, such as roast beef or a spiral ham.
Broccoli, carrots, celery, and whatever other vegetables sitting near the ranch dressing are all fair game. The protein-based foods like shrimp, smoked salmon, the meat entrée and cheese are nice compliments to your veggies, by providing fat and protein (components that help with fullness).
If you have a choice, opt for hummus over Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing to dip your vegetables. The carbohydrates in hummus have very little impact on your blood sugar and the chickpeas, which are the basis for hummus, will give you additional fiber. The calorie content of creamy dressing is a nutritional black box. Just 2 TBSPs can contains 7 to 17 grams of fat. These fat grams and calories can add up fast, thus it is best to save the dressing for another time.
- Watch Where You Stand
Holiday parties are full of mindless eating opportunities. I’m sure you’ve been in the following, or a similar, situation before. You’re chatting with a friend or colleague and a bowl of Chex Mix lays just within reach. Next thing you know, the conversation is over and the bowl of Chex Mix is empty. When it comes to feeling full, your body doesn’t sense these mindless eating calories, but your waistline does.
Watch where you stand at parties. Take a small plate and pile on your veggies and proteins. Then, go start a conversation on the other side of the room, away from the food table.
This tip alone can reduce how much you eat by 50%.
Holiday weight gain isn’t inevitable. Put these simple strategies into play to control the greatest source of holiday weight gain and keep the pounds off this year.
The Dirty Dozen
12 Foods With the Highest Levels of Pesticides
You’ve probably heard that the fresh fruits and vegetables in your local supermarket might be tainted by pesticides. A nonprofit organization call the Environmental Working Group looked at 51,000 pesticide tests for 53 popular fruits and vegetables and then ranked them based on how much and how many different pesticides were found. The Dirty Dozen is their list of the 12 foods shown to have the highest levels.
Whenever possible, buy the organic versions of these 12 fruits and vegetables.
Dirty Dozen
Apples
Strawberries
Grapes
Celery
Peaches
Spinach
Sweet Bell Pepper
Imported Nectarines
Cucumbers
Cherry Tomatoes
Imported Snap Peas
Potatoes
Dirty Secrets
Here are some of the scary details on the levels of pesticides found on fresh food you’ve probably bought at your local supermarket.
- Every imported nectarine examined tested positive for pesticides
- One sample of strawberries contained 13 different pesticides
- Apples might be treated with 56 different pesticides
Why You Should Use Kettlebells
Even though they look a bit odd, there are a number of reasons you should use kettlebells. Kettlebells were originally used in Russia to provide a means of weighing crops. As with many different farming tasks, they became part of the contests at festivals, with farmers showing off their strength by lifting them. Eventually the Russian military realized how beneficial they were for training and used them, followed by fitness enthusiasts in the US in the 60s. Today, there are certification programs for instructors to teach kettlebell training.
Kettlebells give overall body training.
You’ll not only get your blood flowing and build your strength and endurance, you’ll work out your cardiovascular system too. The odd shape of the kettlebell makes your moves more challenging than they would be with a dumbbell. The weight is unevenly distributed, so it makes your stabilizer muscles work far harder than they would with ordinary dumbbells. You’ll be building both strength and endurance when working with kettlebells and exercising many different muscles at the same time.
Kettlebells cut your time in the gym.
Since you’re working multiple groups of muscles at once, you won’t spend extra time focusing on each muscle group. Instead, you’ll cut your time in half by working several groups at once and also working on endurance and cardio at the same time. You’ll not only build strength, you’ll also build flexibility and increase your range of motion, which helps prevent injury, making workouts safer. Kettlebells provide both anaerobic and aerobic exercise at the same time. They work the muscles to create a synergistic movement.
Kettlebells burn calories faster, making weight loss quicker.
You’ll be amazed at just how fast you’ll lose weight when you exercise with kettlebells. Kettlebells burn an average of 20 calories every minute you exercise. That’s a whopping 1,200 calories every hour. Jogging at 6 miles per hour burns approximately 700 calories. Tennis burns 450 calories per hour and rock climbing almost 700. As you can probably tell, kettlebells lead the pack. In fact, it burns over twice the number of calories as swimming.
You’ll increase your strength but you won’t develop big muscles with kettlebells. Kettlebells build leaner muscle mass with less bulk, which appeals to both sexes.
A kettlebell workout improves your functional fitness so you can perform everyday tasks better and reduce the potential for injury.
Kettlebell workouts help improve posture.
You’ll be amazed when you see how a kettlebell swing not only works on building your abdominal muscles to flatten your stomach, but also works on your glutes to lift your buttocks at the same time.
Experience the Benefits of Prenatal and Postpartum Exercise
At one time doctors discouraged both prenatal and postpartum exercise, stating it wasn’t good for either mother or child. Of course, in those days, women were restricted to bed for days and sometimes weeks after childbirth. Today, scientific studies paint quite a different picture on whether to exercise during pregnancy and immediately following, or to remain in bed. Studies show that there are many different benefits from exercising both during pregnancy and after the delivery of the child that range from regaining your figure to boosting the immune system and providing the same benefit to the baby if mother is breast feeding.
Exercising during pregnancy can make delivery easier.
Not only does prenatal exercise strengthen the muscles and make delivery easier, it also helps increase the energy level. Posture changes during pregnancy and exercise can help prevent back aches that often occur otherwise. Mothers-to-be find that exercise helps their sleep pattern, which is important when you consider that sleep won’t be as available after delivery. It also helps prevent constipation, swelling and bloating that can sometimes occur in pregnancy. If you’re pregnant and have never been active before, it’s always best to check with your doctor and use the expertise of an exercise specialist, such as a personal trainer. Even if you’ve always been active, you should check with your doctor if you have any health considerations. A personal trainer can also benefit you by choosing the right type and intensity of exercise to provide a safe exercise program.
Delivery is easier is you’re fit.
Women who are fit have shorter labor, both in the first and second stage of labor. Women who exercise regularly while pregnant also have a higher pain tolerance and increased stamina, so they tire less during labor. Studies show there are fewer caesarian births among exercising mothers-to-be and the improved muscle tone in the pelvic area also helps lower the incidence of episiotomies and tearing during delivery.
Postpartum exercise can help prevent the after baby blues.
While most people are aware that exercise produces mood enhancing hormones and burns off stress hormones, most people don’t realize that it also helps build energy. Regular exercise helps you improve your energy levels, which is particularly necessary for this busy time. It restores muscle strength and your abdominal muscle tone, besides promoting weight loss. Women who exercise often find they can cope better with the stresses of motherhood. Lactating mothers also pass benefits on to their children. Exercise boosts the immune system and that benefit goes directly to the newborn at feeding.
You’ll look better and feel better when you exercise during and after pregnancy. It also sets the stage for a healthy lifestyle for your family.
Knowing the best exercises to do both before and immediately following delivery can be tricky. Using the expertise of a personal trainer or exercise specialist during that time is quite beneficial.
Exercise not only helps improve the sense of well being and provides mood improving hormones, it also contributes to improving the self-image.
Prenatal and postpartum exercise prepares you for all extra lifting and bending necessary as a new mother. It provides functional fitness to help prevent injury, such as pulled muscles or prevent backache.
Keeping Up With Your Kids
If you’re already a parent, you know just how exhausting raising a child can be. Not only does it require a lot of work, play can be just as taxing. Keeping up with your kids in Fort Lee, New Jersey doesn’t have to be difficult if you exercise on a regular basis. In fact, people who are considering children often start an exercise program. For women, it’s a great way to prepare your body for childbirth. Studies show that fit women have shorter labor and have an easier postpartum recovery time. Exercising helps prevent constipation that often occurs. It also can help prevent the after baby blues or relieve them. For both parents, keeping in shape not only will give you vitality, it can also provide a number of other benefits.
Exercise boosts your immune system.
Let’s face it, as a parent, you can’t afford to get sick. In fact, your job has no sick days…or holidays for that matter. When you exercise on a regular basis, you’re not only staying active and maintaining stamina, you’re also boosting your immune system to help prevent both serious and minor illnesses. Regular exercise can help reduce the potential for high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, stroke and many other serious conditions. It can also help you fight off a cold or the latest strain of influenza.
Teach your kids good habits for life.
Exercising on a regular basis and an active lifestyle is not only good for you, it also sends an important message to your children. Kids mimic what they see. If you smoke, the chances of your children smoking increases. If you exercise regularly, they probably won’t end up as couch potatoes, but follow your lead. Just as reading to children encourages the child to read, running and playing with them encourages them to have a more active lifestyle.
Exercise burns off stress hormones.
Raising children is very rewarding, but anyone that says there aren’t frustrating and trying times in that process either never raised a child or has a short memory. When the demands of life look overwhelming, you can sit and worry about it or get moving. Doing any kind of physical activity can help eliminate stress hormones. When you workout at your maximum, your body also replaces those stress hormones with ones that make you feel good, such as endorphins. These hormones can make you feel calmer and more in charge, allowing you to handle the next catastrophe that appears on the horizon.
Regular exercise keeps you in shape for a longer healthier life. You’ll not only be the active parent, but also the active grandparent and maybe even great-grandparent.
When you exercise on a regular basis and eat healthy, you’ll have the energy to keep up with the kids during the day and still have some left for grown up activities at night, such as dancing the night away.
Exercise not only gives you strength and stamina, it makes you look good too. It keeps you feeling young and looking young.
Exercise can give you presence. You’ll speak with more authority, walk tall and feel more confident. Not only will you maintain your cool during stressful times, you’ll find your attitude and carriage brings you more respect from your children.
Golf Conditioning Can Improve Your Game
No matter what your score in golf, it can always get better. Today, more and more golfers are adding golf conditioning to their improvement program. While you don’t have to have a personal trainer to start working out, when it comes to specialized workouts, such as ones that prepare your body for a specific sport, such as golf, a Bergan County personal trainer is the only way to go. The perfect swing comes from more than just power, but also includes flexibility. Unless you’re working on both strength and flexibility, you’ll find your game won’t improve as rapidly.
The perfect balancing act is necessary.
You want to be powerful to drive that ball, but if you’re too strong, but have no range of motion, no matter what strength training you do, it won’t help. A personal trainer can design a program that not only increases your range of motion and flexibility, it also increases your strength and stamina, to help you attain the perfect drive. Improved power and flexibility will get the ball sailing off the tee for more distance.
Prevent injuries with conditioning.
Unless you prepare your body for golfing, or any other sport for that matter, you may find yourself nursing a injury instead of out on the green. Injuries can come fro the stress you place on shoulders and the lower back. They also can affect your hips, elbows and wrists. Paying close attention to conditioning and the mechanics can help prevent this. Even learning stretches can help avoid rotator cuff injuries. A personal trainer can provide you with exercises that you can do before you start your game to help prevent serious injuries on the course.
A personal trainer shows you workouts for all muscle groups.
A successful swing doesn’t just use the arm or upper body muscles, it uses a wide variety of muscles throughout your body. Your leg muscles help produce the power at the initiation of the swing, the core muscles transfer that power and important when it comes to the speed your club head achieves. You need strength in the arm muscles for accuracy and control. Personal trainers in Fort Lee and Bergen County can show you overall workouts that work all the muscles necessary for the perfect swing.
You’ll build the stamina to walk the course when you have an overall fitness program for golf. Not only does overall fitness help your game, it also improves your life and prevents serious conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
A healthy diet can play an important role in your overall fitness and even in lowering your handicap. Personal trainers can show you how to make healthier choices when you eat, which can help you lose weight and become fitter.
Cardio training improves your stamina, which is especially important to keep you vigorous through all 18 holes.
You’ll be amazed at the difference golf fitness training makes, not only in your game, but in your overall fitness. Personal trainers also adjust the workouts for preseason, season and post season training.
Functional Training Prepares Your Body for Active Living
If you don’t want big muscles but do want to live healthier, functional training might just be your answer. If a person is functionally fit, he or she has the muscle development to the common daily task everyone does, but at a reduced risk of injury. Functional training uses several different muscles at the same time to simulate the activities we do each day. It also focuses on core stability, which is very important no matter what your age.
You’ll exercise many parts of your body at once.
If you’re lifting groceries, rising out of a chair or bending over to tie your shoes, you’re using several groups of muscles at one time. Functional fitness training addresses that issue by providing exercises that help the muscles work synergistically, working several at one time. Instead of just exercising the abdominal muscles, you might do an exercise that works the stomach, back, arms and legs. These types of exercises can improve the quality of life, while also helping you live healthier.
People of all ages benefit from functional training.
While seniors benefit considerably from this type of training, which can extend the length of time they can live on their own by reducing the potential for strains and falls, you don’t have to be a senior to reap rewards. You’ll improve your posture with functional training since it works out core muscles, which makes it beneficial for all ages. In today’s world where sitting at a desk or computer plays an important role in jobs, functional training is an important way to build all muscle groups at once. It works the muscles in ways they were supposed to move before the advent of labor-saving devices left us sedentary.
You’ll lose weight with functional training.
Functional fitness training in Fort Lee, NJ help you build lean muscle tissue. The exercises are great calorie burning workouts that not only provide exercise to your entire body, but also help build your endurance and strength. Just as any program of regular exercise, these muscle tissue building exercises also help boost your metabolism. The muscle tissue they build requires more calories than fat tissue does, so you burn additional calories 24/7…even when you’re not exercising.
You’ll develop core stability with functional training. It teaches the core muscles to help stabilize the spine from external force.
You can enhance a sports specific training program with functional fitness training. It helps provide training that builds the relationship between the muscles and nervous systems to decrease reaction time and improve movement patterns.
This type of exercise, as with all forms of exercise, done on a regular basis not only increases your strength, balance and flexibility, it also boosts your immune system to provide even more protection for your health.
Functional training is one method of keeping your body strong and healthy. You work muscles on a variety of planes, using various angles, which machines simply can’t do. It more closely resembles that actual workout your body has doing common everyday activities.
Enjoy Your Exercise
Probably the most frequently heard complaint about exercising is that it’s boring. It’s very important that you enjoy your exercise. If you don’t, the odds of you continuing decrease. There are a number of different reasons people become turned off to exercise. Sometimes they lack variety, sometimes they simply don’t challenge themselves and sometimes they simply don’t have a routine that stimulates them. In Bergan County, you can make huge changes in your exercise routine, when you use the services of a personal trainer.
Change is a good thing.
If you’ve had the same workout for months or years and find it’s getting very stale, you’ll benefit from getting new ideas from a personal trainer. While trainers may show you new calisthenics or weight lifting routines, they also may come up with a completely different idea, such as using kettlebells for your workout. Not only will you learn a new technique, you’ll learn to do it the right way. The personal trainer not only shows you how to exercise, he or she watches to insure you execute it correctly. Doing an exercise incorrectly can cause injury or minimize the benefits.
Make your routine more challenging.
One of the problems with exercising on your own is that you often stay at one plateau. You start a routine and fail to make it more difficult as you improve your fitness level. Personal trainers can help with this problem too. A personal trainer not only designs a workout program that challenges you now, he or she also adjusts that program to maintain the same level of challenge as your body becomes fitter. You’ll find a more challenging exercise program can take the yawn right out of exercising.
Exercise with a friend.
You can have fun and become fitter when you go to a boot camp or get semi-private training from a personal trainer. Both of these options not only give you the benefits of having a personal trainer, but at a far discounted price. Group workouts also provide socialization and comradery. In both semi-private sessions and boot camps, everyone works at his or her own personal maximum ability, so each person understands just how challenging each other’s goals can be. You’ll often hear words of encouragement and even cheering when someone makes a goal. Working out with a friend or friends can boost the energy of a workout and make it more enjoyable.
Vary your activities. You don’t always have to get your exercise in a gym. Golf, tennis, jogging and even dancing count as vigorous exercise that helps you get back into shape and become healthier.
Keep track of your progress. You may not realize just how much progress you’ve made, because you see yourself daily and the changes are subtle. However, if you keep a written or photographic record, it will be easy to see just how much you’ve improved. That always makes it more fun to exercise.
Boogie your way to fitness. Turn on the radio or put in a CD and exercise to the music. You might even make your exercise routine into a dance routine. Dancing is a vigorous form of exercise and it’s also plenty of fun.
Workout as a family or as a couple. Get everyone moving and on the road to fitness. Even though kids are active normally, in today’s world video games often replace running. You’ll bond more when you exercise together.