A blog by Candace M. Foxx Retired WNBF Pro Fit Body and Pro Figure Competitor, Female Personal Trainer, NASM FNS and MMA Specialst, Competition Prep Coach, IFBB USA Certified Bodybuilding Judge and Promoter, and Creator of the Clash at the Border Bodybuilding Show.
Need to workout, only have 30 minutes and have no access to equipment, no worries! This total bodyweight workout will help you build muscle and burn calories! 💪
Do exercises 1 - 5 one after the other with 12 - 15 repetitions. Last exercise is for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Repeat for 3 or 4 complete sets or "circuits".
One of the 4 exercises that tests human strength and military fitness is the Pull Up and in this post, I will be discussing why the Reverse Grip Pull Up is important to master. Great way to determine muscular endurance PRs is to achieve enough strength to lift your own weight!
Reverse Grip Pull Ups is a compound exercise for the back. Also known as the Chin Up, this exercise, mostly targets the latissimus dorsi, teres major and biceps. It also secondarily trains the shoulders and chest because of the narrower supinated grip. If you are a beginner start on the floor, with a bench, stool or stability ball to assist you until you have the strength to lift your own weight. Most commericial gyms have an ASSITED PULL UP/CHEST DIP machines which work great for
beginners.
Front & Back Double Bicep
Grab the pull up bar or assisted pull up machine bar. In a reverse supinated grip, palms facing you with arms about shoulder-width apart. If you can hang, raise your feet off the floor by bending your knees. Pull yourself up by squeezing your back muscles and pulling your elbows down to the floor.
Repeat for desired sets and reps. I usually do 5 sets of 10 - 15 repetitions.
Developing back muscles not only helps with strength and posture, it also develops what is known as a V - Taper. Broad upper body with small tiny waist and large quadraceps gives the body an asthetically pleasing look in the fitness/bodybuilding industry. Tip: So if you have a wide or no waist, developing your upper body will give the illusion of a smaller waist.
Pull exercises are those where the muscles contract and the weight is being pulled towards you. The primary muscles used in pull workouts includes the back, biceps, hamstrings, obliques and trapezius. Examples of pull exercises are lat pull down, back rows, deadlifts, leg curls, rear delt flys and bicep curls.
Benefits of Adding Push/Pull Workouts to Your Program
Keep the fried foods,
fast foods, processed foods and red meat to a minimum.
Look for words like:
blackened, grilled, & roasted.
Go for fruit instead
of refined white flour baked goods.
Eat lots of greens.
They fill up half of your medium sized plate.
Ask for a doggie bag
to put half of the meal to go. Or share with a companion.
Alcohol is basically
liquid carbs and over 2 beers is illegal to drive!
Not a good idea on a
family vacation!
1 oz. of alcohol is 80
- 100 calories
Drinking alcohol not
only gets you drunk, but it also dehydrates, fills you with empty calories which
equals weight gain and water retention.
Keep hydrated with
water!
In the hot sun without
water can lead to dehydration and heat exhaustion.
Sodas, Teas and coffee are
also diuretics!
Activity Level (20%)
Just a reminder: The
less activity you do without making proper food choices, the more weight you
will gain.
Just because you are
on Summer vacation doesn't mean you stop working out and taking care of
your health.
Keep the
cardiovascular training going!
2 – 3 x a week is adequate to maintain a strong
cardiovascular endurance
Walk, jog or run on
the beach, city or country side
Ride a bicycle or
mountain bike
Go hiking on a hill or
mountain side
It will make you feel
like a kid again
Play volleyball at the
beach or regular outdoor activities.
Resistance training is
also just as important!
The more muscle you
retain the stronger immune system you will have with proper
nutrition.
Muscle weighs more than fat, but takes up less space
on the body.
Each pound of muscle burns an additional 14 calories
per pound.
More muscle equals higher the metabolism
A minimum or 2 – 3 times
a week is adequate for weight and core training
Most hotels and
resorts have small fitness rooms with Tvs!
Resistance bands
are great for traveling
They can be used to train:
Biceps
Triceps
Shoulders
Glutes
Hips
Calisthenics: Body
weight exercises
Pushups
Crunches
Wall Static Squats
Superman
Single-leg stiff-leg
deadlift
Inclined Plank
Single-leg calf raises
Side plank
Falling off the band
wagon for too long will make it very HARD to get BACK ON TRACK. You will have
to grow through the soreness and stiffness all over again! Why go through that?
I'm a bodybuilder and post contest we usually take 1 - 2 weeks off to heal from
the extensive resistance training from the contest prep. However, I can only
stand taking 1 week off. I get very sore once I start training again. I can
only imagine 2 whole weeks off!
This is a dynamic stretch called leg swings. It helps warm up the hip flexors and glutes for heavy weight training leg day or long distance run. If you balance isn't too great, then use something to hold on to while executing this exercise. Can be done with 10 - 15 reps each leg. I prefer to do this before I workout with weights and run. Many say that stretching isn't necessary, but I believe it helps my clients and I prepare for the workload we have in our training program.
