If you are like me and have lower back issues, regular squats with a barbell across your back will snap your back in half. However, the squat is the king of lower body exercises. Very few exercises are more effective for working the glutes, hamstrings, squats, calves and core. The leg press and lunges are great but there's just something about an old school, basic compound power exercise like the squat.
Enter the Front Squat... The front squat is a variation of the traditional squat. However instead of placing the barbell on the upper-mid back, the barbell will rest on the upper chest, clavicle area. This will remove a lot of stress placed down the vertebrae into the lower back. This exercise isn't without it's own risks tho and should be demonstrated by a CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER who will be able to demonstrate proper form to minimize injury. The front squat is most effective with a barbell but when beginning, I recommend using the smith machine as it will provide more stability and allow you to keep your lower back straight. As with all squats, you will want to look up, keeping your chin at about a 45 degree angle from your chest. Kettlebells may also be used as another variation. This exercise is great for targeting the gluteal muscles, quadriceps, hamstrings, ca;calves, and core. Feel free to contact myself or any certified trainer for a demonstration and repetition/sets recommendation for your fitness level.
0 Comments
Are you making the most of your exercise time? If the time you have for exercise is limited, you would probably like to get the maximum possible benefits from that time. The following questions will help you evaluate your exercise program, and decide whether you would like to make some changes to maximize your health and fitness benefits. ARE YOU REACHING YOUR GOALS? What are your health and fitness goals? Goals can change over time, so it's a good idea to re-examine your goals every few months. You can adjust your exercise program accordingly. For example, if you are feeling tight from running every day, maybe it's time to add some stretching, Pilates or yoga to your program. If your exercise time is limited, be sure that you are addressing the most important goals first. Make the most of the time you have. For example, if weight loss is your most important goal, be sure most of your activities are good calorie burners. Don't forget that exercise has great psychological benefits. Would you like to feel less stressed, more focused? Regular moderate-intensity exercise can increase your energy level while reducing feelings of stress. I've been asked many times, "Josh, What is the best exercise or workout to burn bodyfat and get in shape?" My reply is always the same. The BEST EXERCISE OR WORKOUT TO LOSE BODYFAT AND SHAPE AND TONE YOUR BODY IS... anything that you will enjoy doing and be consistent with! If I told you running and strength training were the most effective way to lose bodyfat and tone your body you hate running, program consistency will not take place. However, if you enjoy doing a Zumba or spin class and training with kettlebells instead of traditional weights, you will have a higher probability of success. Remember, with fitness, every little bit adds up! A 15-20 minute workout can be effective if the intensity and variety are present! IS YOUR EXERCISE PROGRAM CONVENIENT? A great exercise program is worthless if you don't do the exercise! When changing your program, make sure you are realistic, and think about the factors that could interfere with your attendance. What kind of challenges have kept you from exercising in the past? Is there anything you can do to stick to your exercise program over the next few months? Consistent and persistent are two factors for successfully achieving and maintaining fitness goals. Most of my training sessions with clients are thirty minute sessions. This allows easy scheduling, increases intensity and allows time for cardiovascular activities such as running, elliptical etc. DOES YOUR PROGRAM HAVE VARIETY? A well-rounded fitness program that includes aerobic exercise, strength training and stretching helps increase metabolism, improve psychological well-being, prevent obesity and cardiovascular disease, and slow the decline of strength and flexibility that occurs with aging. Variety can also help prevent injury. Overuse injury is most likely to occur when you perform the same motions over and over. By changing your workout frequently, you "shock" the body and cause it to respond to the stimulus. This allows for constant progress. One of the benefits of working with an experienced trainer is the variety of exercises and programs available to minimize plateaus and boredom. DO YOU EXERCISE AT A HIGH ENOUGH INTENSITY? If you are fairly fit, you may want to gradually increase the intensity of your exercise program. You can increase the intensity of a strength workout by adding more weight. You can increase the intensity of a cardiovascular workout by increasing the level on an exercise machine. If you walk, you can increase intensity by adding some hills to your workout. You can also add a weighted vest or belt, carry hand weights or increase your pace and/or distance. Try alternating hard and easy intensities during a session of aerobic exercise, this is referred to as interval training. Interval training can increase the number of calories you burn during exercise, increase your fitness level and boost your resting metabolism. An excellent tool to determine if you're working with enough intensity is to use either the Target Heart Zone calculation or Borge's Rate Of Perceived Exertion (Contact me to help you figure out your Target Heart Rate if you would like). Many times I have people come to me frustrated because they seem to not lose weight as rapid as they would like. Many times, if we are truly honest with ourselves, we aren't working out with enough intensity to produce the results we desire. DO YOU DISCUSS EXERCISE WITH YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER? Has your health changed since you last saw your physician? Be sure to let your doctor know about your exercise program, and be sure you are exercising safely for your health level. You should also check in with your provider if you are experiencing any signs of injury. Ask to see a physical therapist who can help you figure out what is causing the injury and who can recommend treatment options. I have witnessed many friends/clients who have had major illnesses diagnosed (three come to mind which required surgery all within the past few months!) who because they have been exercising consistently have recovered quickly. I have personally witnessed the effects of being on a consistent exercise regimen and how it made for a smoother operation, quicker recovery and I continue to lead a healthy lifestyle and workout consistently after donating a kidney over 18 years ago. Be sure to discuss your current fitness and nutrition with your physician and request input and guidelines if needed. Many of the foods and beverages we eat and drink contain empty calories – calories from solid fats and/or added sugars. Solid fats and added sugars add calories to the food but contain few or no nutrients. For this reason, the calories from solid fats and added sugars in a food are often called empty calories. Solid fats are fats that are solid at room temperature, like butter, beef fat, and shortening. Some solid fats are found naturally in foods. They can also be added when foods are processed by food companies or when they are prepared. Added sugars are sugars and syrups that are added when foods or beverages are processed or prepared. Solid fats and added sugars can make a food or beverage more appealing, but they also can add a lot of calories. The foods and beverages that provide the most empty calories: Cakes, cookies, pastries, and donuts (contain both solid fat and added sugars) Sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks, and fruit drinks (contain added sugars) Cheese (contains solid fat) Pizza... ugh!!!! Pizza is my favourite food!!! (contains solid fat) Ice cream (contains both solid fat and added sugars) Sausages, hot dogs, bacon, and ribs (contain solid fat) These foods and beverages are the major sources of empty calories, but many can be found in forms with less or no solid fat or added sugars. For example, low-fat cheese and low-fat hot dogs can be purchased. You can choose water, skim milk, or sugar-free soda instead of drinks with sugar. Check that the calories in these products are less than in the regular product. In some foods, like most candies and sodas, all the calories are empty calories. These foods are often called "empty calorie foods." However, empty calories from solid fats and added sugars can also be found in some other foods that contain important nutrients. Some examples of foods that provide nutrients, shown in forms with and without empty calories are: Food with some to no empty calories include: Sweetened applesauce (contains added sugars) Unsweetened applesauce Regular ground beef (75% lean) (contains solid fats) Extra lean ground beef (95% or more lean) Fried chicken (contains solid fats from frying and skin) Baked chicken breast without skin Sugar-sweetened cereals (contain added sugars) Unsweetened cereals Whole milk (contains solid fats) Fat-free milk Making better choices, like unsweetened applesauce or extra lean ground beef, can help keep your intake of added sugars and solid fats low. It is almost impossible to avoid empty calories entirely. however, when trying to lose bodyfat and increase muscle it's important to consume as much nutrient dense calories for your alloted daily caloric intake as possible. Avoiding the above mentioned foods will not only help you lose body fat but will leave more of your daily caloric intake open for better, more healthier foods which will fuel your body and leave your feeling great rather than bogged down! Cardiovascular activity, as many of you know, is an important part of any fitness program. It is responsible for improving the heart, lungs and circulatory system function as well as burning calories which sheds body fat among other things. However, many of us stick to our favourite machine or mode of cardio. I recommend changing your cardio activity occasionally. This will prevent overuse injuries such as knee, hip and back problems which tend to arise from repeating the same movement and same range of motion. Another downfall of not switching up your cardio workout is that your body adapts and becomes efficient at the particular exercise and slows your caloric burn. If you are a die hard elliptical trainer or runner, and are determined to not vary the actual exercise, another way to shake things up and increase intensity is to try interval training. This is where you increase your pace, resistance etc, to elevate your heart rate for a given period of time, then slow the pace or resistance and allow your heart rate to return back to or close to your resting heart rate. Repeat this procedure for the duration of the workout. You may also introduce hills to your run, elliptical or do bike training. I encourage you to explore many of the group classes offered at local gyms as well. Try a Zumba, spin, step, Kickfit or other class to really shock your body, challenge your muscles and mind! Who knows... you may even find a new favourite cardio workout! Interval Cardio Training. Looking for a different cardio workout? Let's face it, the treadmill, or DREADMILL as one of my clients calls it, can be boring. Many of us will jump on our favourite piece of cardio equipment whether it be the elliptical trainer, bike etc. and go through the motions. Here is a workout that will get your heartrate up, shape and tone your butt, thighs and calves and burn some calories! It's a great interval training workout. Start walking on the treadmill at a comfortable pace (usually 1.5-3 mph). After a 5 minute warm up, increase the incline setting to 5.0 (or 5% incline) and walk on the incline for 1-2 minutes depending on your fitness level. After 1-2 minutes, increase the incline to 10.0 (10% incline) and continue to walk at the same pace for another 1-2 minutes again depending on your fitness level. Once again after another 2 minutes have expired (you should be at the 8-9 minute mark depending if you're doing one or two minute intervals.) raise the treadmill up to 15.0. Continue walking leaning forward into the treadmill, walking close to the front so as to not slip off the back! I see too many people hanging onto the rails and leaning back which takes the emphasis off the thighs and gluteal area. Continue increasing the incline every one to two minutes until you've reached the top incline setting. Then descend the treadmill in the manner as you increased, every one to two minutes until your are back to a 0 percent level setting. Example of Hill Interval Workout Time Incline 0-5 mins 0 5-7 mins 5 7-9 mins 10 9-11 mins 15 11-13 mins 20 13-15 mins 15 15-17 mins 10 17-19 mins 5 19-25 mins 0 * Speed should remain constant depending on your current fitness level. You may continue with another one or two more rounds or for more variety, after you complete the hill interval do a speed interval increasing the speed every one or two minutes until you reach a jog (or a full sprint if you are able to do so safely). By the end of the session you should be sweating, have an elevated heart rate and feel the butt and thighs burn. *Try doing this interval training treadmill workout for 20-60 minutes depending on your fitness level. ** Always consult your physician before beginning this or any other fitness program. If you feel pain or lightheaded etc. stop and consult your physician. |
Josh McCabeAs a Personal Trainer, I am here to help you live the healthiest life style possible! This includes eating habits, workouts and just living well! Ask questions, share ideas and cheer one another on! Categories |
Photo used under Creative Commons from Mr. Vincent Freeman