Great Unstable Exercises For Legs That Burn Fat & Build Muscle!

 

Training in unstable environments forces you to concentrate and uses more of the muscles in the body to execute. It corrects muscle imbalances, improves stablization or the core, it prepares tissue for upcoming demands of training, improves cardiorespiratory and neuromuscular systems and establishes proper movement. 

Do unstable training for at least 4 - 6 weeks to see the increase in body fat reduction, strength in the stabilizing muscles, lean muscle mass and general performance. Here are some examples of unstable exercises: 

Bosu Ball Squats

Bosu Dumbbell Reverse Lunge with Knee Lift

Bosu Goblet Squats

Bosu Ball One Leg Bridge

Bosu Split Lunges

Bosu Stiff-Leg Deadlift

Swiss Ball Leg Curls

 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! 💪

1. Side Lying Tricep Push-ups

2. V Ups

3. Jump Lunges

4. Side Ups

5. Birddog Pointer

6. Seal Jumping Jacks

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".

Swiss Ball Total Body Workout 🏋🏽‍♀️

 Swiss Ball Total Body Workout 

Swiss Ball Dumbbell Chest Press

4 Sets

10 - 12 Reps, Heavy Weight

Swiss Ball Weighted Crunch 

4 Sets

12 - 15 Reps, Moderate Weight 

Swiss Ball Dumbbell Squats

4 sets

15 - 20 Reps

Swiss Ball Dumbbell Wide Row

4 Sets

10 - 12 Reps, Moderate Weight

Swiss Ball Bulgarian Split Squats

4 Sets

12 - 15 Reps, Each Leg

Swiss Ball Russian Twist 

15 Reps, Each Side with Moderate Weight

Swiss Ball Dumbbell Chest Flys

4 Sets

12 - 15 Reps

Swiss Ball Back Extensions

4 Sets

12 - 15 Reps, Last rep hold torso up with a 10 - 15 sec hold

Swiss Ball Single Leg Curl

4 Sets

12 - 15 Reps, Each Leg

Beginners can use both legs at the same time

Swiss Ball Reverse Plank

4 Sets

45 sec - 1 min hold

Legs and Abdominal Workout

Legs and Ab Workout

Hack Squat

3 - 5 Sets

Hypertophy:

 Heavy Weight & 8 - 10 Reps

Lean & Toned:

Light Weight & 12 - 15 Reps

Bench V-ups

3 - 4 Sets

High Reps: 12 to 15 

DB  Split Lunges 

3 - 4 sets

High Reps: 12 - 15 Reps

Side Ups

3 - 4 Sets

High Reps: 15 - 20

One Leg Ball Leg Curls

3 - 4 Sets

High Reps: 12 - 20

Decline Crunch

3 - 4 Sets

Low Reps: 8 - 10 

Calf Presses

4 - 6 Sets

Heavy Weight and High Reps

12 - 15

Bicep Workout With Balance

Bosu Barbell Curls

Barbell Curl is the standard exercise for building strength and mass in the biceps. Adding a bosu makes it also include core and balance strengthening. It also helps avoid using your upper body to lift the weight making the exercise a lot more difficult than the standard. Make sure to keep your core tight as you balance on the bosu and lift the barbell up and down.

Swiss Ball One Arm Preacher Curl

One arm preacher curls is great to target the brachialis, which is the lower part of your bicep. However, adding a Swiss ball will make the exercise more difficult and add some core stabilization which will burn more calories. Make sure when executing this exercise you keep your core tight at all times so that you don't lose control of the ball. Place one of your arms on the ball with the back of the arm against the Swiss ball with dumbbell. Use the other arm as support or place around the front of the Swiss ball. Slowly, lower your arm with the dumbbell to about 90 degrees and curl it back to starting position. You don't want to go beyond this because you can hyper extend your shoulder which can lead to future injury. Repeat on the other arm.

Swiss Ball Dumbbell Lateral Side Curls

Great way to train the long head of the biceps with stabilization. Sit on the Swiss ball and keep your core engaged at all times. Grab your dumbbells and place your arms outside of your thighs with hands facing up. Lift the dumbbells up towards your the side of your shoulders and slowly bring them back to starting position.

Swiss Ball Single Leg Curl

A more difficult variation from the regular Swiss ball leg curl. It mostly targets your hamstring, glute and core. Make sure to keep you core engaged when you lift your body up from the floor. Lift one leg up to the sky and keep the other leg on the ball. Bring the ball towards your glute and then push it back away. Repeat on the next leg.

2016 WNBF Pro Iron Eagle Classic

Back Pose

Hamstring and glute tie-in

Great Herbs and Spices to Use with Fish!

Most of us know the basic herbs and spices that work with food like garlic, pepper, onions and sea salt. However, here are some other herbs that also work great with fish!

A

Anise

B

Basil

Image Credits: Living Awareness Institute

Borage

C

Caraway

Chovil

Chives

Image Credits: freshproducegroup.us

Coriander aka Cilantro

Image Credits: Old Farmers Almanac

D

Dill

F

Fennel

M

Marjoram

Image Credits: Wise Geek

O

Oregano

P

Parsely

R

Rosemary

S

Saffron

Image Credits: Cure Joy

Sage

T

Tarragon

Thyme

Swiss Ball Barbell Chest Press

A different variation from the standard barbell chest press. This exercise incorporates more core stabilization. Make sure to tighten up your core before you lift the bar off the hooks. The Swiss ball makes it harder to execute, so slowly bring the Bar towards your chest and when you push it back up. 

Side Ups

A great way to train your obliques and strengthen your core. Keeping the reps to 15 will ensure that you will have a small waist instead of wide. Keep core training to only 3 times a week. Training your core everyday and adding too much weight to your obliques will only keep your waist wide because you won't allow it to rest and will make you oblique muscles grow. Each muscle ground needs at least 24 hours of rest.

Transformation Tuesday

1990 Visiting my relatives in Mississippi at 13 years old wearing almost a size 16. I hated myself and developed bulimia that I suffered from until I was 28 years old after finding the love for fitness.

27 years old, I was sick and tired of not having the body I wanted. I smoked cigarettes, drank too much alcohol and was 4 years of getting over many drug addictions that included cocaine, crack, and ecstasy. This is when I decided I was going to get healthy the right way and try to inspire my Mother to take her cancer diagnoses seriously. I ended up losing 45 lbs. without any fat burners. I discovered "Eating Clean".

2010 Finally getting fit! After 2 years of solid weight training and eating clean, my baby muscles were coming out!

My first competition with the INBF Alamo Showdown 2011. Placed 3rd top 5 in San Antonio, Tx. my first time competing. 

 Opened up Fit Science LLC in 2011 after my Mother was fired from her job because her cancer came back the 3rd time. In addition, at the gym I worked at they wanted to cut my wage down by half and I could not survive on such a wage for the transformations I was giving people with my knowledge.

2014 When I won my first Pro Card with the WNBF. Fit Science LLC had been open for almost 4 years!

My 2nd Worlds Champions with the WNBF were I placed 4th top 5!

2017 WNBF Pro Extravanga in Augusta, GA. Placed 3rd top 5!

2017 Almost 10 years later a gym owner, certified bodybuilding judge, competition prep coach and Pro Natural Figure and Fit Body Competitor!

Weighted Power Step Ups

A plyometric exercise used by coaches and trainers to build athlete's explosive strength like jumping higher or sprinting faster. This exercise is also used by me to build nice rounded quads and high glutes like a sprinter has. A look that competitors need for bodybuilding competitions. Make sure to be aware of you surroundings and not have any types of weights around the area you are executing this exercise.

Organic Whole Wheat Bread Recipe with Bread Machine

BREAD MACHINE ORGANIC WHOLE WHEAT BREAD RECIPE

Ingredients:  Makes 16 servings (16 slices)

2  cups		of water
4-1/2  cups		of whole wheat pastry flour
2/3  teaspoon		coconut sugar
2  teaspoons		of Himalayan salt
3  teaspoons		of active yeast

Directions:  

Step 1: Set up your bread machine. Add water first then, the sugar and salt. Add the whole wheat pastry flour and make a small depression to put the active yeast in the center.

Step 2: Set the bread machine on wheat setting and let it go through all the setting except bake.

Step 3: Oil the walls of a bread pan and with some extra flour remove the dough from the bread machine pan. Place the dough inside a microwave and let sit for another 30 min to rise. Adding a bowl of boiling water next to it will make it rise again faster. Preheat the oven at 400 degrees and bake for 40 - 60 min. Make sure to check it periodically with a toothpick to see if the center is thoroughly cooked.

Step 4: Take out of the oven when golden brown and let sit for 30 - 60 min. Slice up the bread in one centimeter width and store in the bread box or a covered storage box in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Facts Bread Machine Organic Whole Wheat Bread Recipe Serving Size 1 slice
Amount Per Serving
Calories 126.6 Calories from Fat  5
% Daily Value
Total Fat 0.62g	1%
Saturated Fat 0.01g	0%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 192.72mg	8%
Total Carbohydrate 26.28g	9%
Dietary Fiber 4.7g	19%
Sugars 0.1g
Protein 3.68g	7%
Vitamin A (IU) 0	0%
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 25.64mg	3%
Iron 1.64mg	9%

Keep Those Unwanted Pounds Off All the Way to Christmas

Tis the Season to not become a weight gain statistic. What do I mean by this? Well according to the "experts", the average person only gains a pound during the holiday season. On the other hand, overweight and obese individuals gain about 5 lbs. However, I find this information to be false because of the years I have spent taking meticulous records of my clients' progress during training people for the last 12 years as a personal trainer and 8 years as a competition prep coach. 

I used to weigh my clients every 4 weeks, but I found that this wouldn't really help them. Most of them didn't get serious until I gave them a heads up that their weigh-in was in a week. So, I decided to weigh them every Monday or every week. I have found that in my gym the average weight gain for clients during the holidays that are average and active is about 10 lbs. Overweight and obese clients usually gain about 15 - 25 pounds. I have had both fit, overweight and obese clients gain 5 - 7 lbs. in one week. So now imagine when we multiply that by 8 weeks (4 weeks of November and 4 from December). This equals to about 40 - 56 lbs of potential weight gain if you are not careful with your level of activity and food intake. In addition, this is when MOST of my clients stop training to save up for Christmas and traveling. 

I assume that when people read the "experts" statistics and it gives them to "go ahead" and "enjoy yourself" during the holidays, drink like fish and quit working out because they believe they will only gain 1 - 5 pounds. However, this behavior will only help you gain a whole bunch of fat that will take 10 times as hard to loose. Just because it is the holidays should not be a reason to throw away all the effort you have put into working out and getting healthy. If you have not even started a workout regime this year, then you are only making it harder for yourself once you get into the "New Year New Me" season. Gaining fat is easy but losing fat is super hard. It takes 3500 calories to lose 1 POUND of FAT!!! It is even harder if you are a woman. So why put yourself through this? It will only get you depressed after the parties, socials, and festivals end. 

After you read this post make the right decision for your health. You can save the unhealthy food for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas with your immediate family. There is no reason to pig out at every Thanksgiving and Christmas party. You can have an enjoyable time without eating a whole bunch of crap that will make you feel depressed later. I teach my clients how to eat a healthy meal before they  go to a holiday parties. Try this next time, it will help you stay full and only be able to try out some of the hor d'oeurvres. Keep on working out and do not let excuses get in the way. 

Think smart, eat smart and train smart!

Candace

Keeping Up with Contest Preparation While Traveling on the Road

Today, I am traveling to Houston, Texas. I'm a part of a book that's coming out called Latinas Rising" Volume 1. I am one of the authors and luckily I was chosen out of four women from the RGV and the state of Texas to share my story. Tonight I'll be one of the panelists reliving my past once again to help so many people who are lost. I think it will be easier this time because this is already my second time being a panelist.

I am in competition prep so I got to make sure I'm eating right even on the road. So I made myself some tofu stir-fry with spinach, red bell and orange pepper, and mushrooms. It was delicious!

Experimenting with tofu has so far been an interesting adventure! Adding it to different types of meals has been great! Before, I had only used it with my flourless protein brownies. I never really used it to replace protein in my normal meals but, I definitely see myself eating more tofu as I keep on living a healthy lifestyle which will be forever!

The key with any type of healthy cooking is to make it taste good. Healthy cooking does not have to taste bland. It doesn't have to be without seasoning. All you have to do is just monitor your sodium levels and fats depending on what your fitness goals are. In addition, you don't want synthetic types of dats to be used in your food the more natural you can have it the best!

Keeping Track and Responsible for Your Actions to Reach Your Fitness Goals

Being in the fitness business for about 10 going on 11 years now, I have noticed the some of the biggest problems for people to lose weight or meet any fitness goal is to make a plan (journal), stay on track (meal prep), and be responsible for your own actions. Losing weight or any type of fitness goal is not something that you can wish off. Maybe when you were younger the pounds would just come off, but now that you are older your hormones are not as strong and it is harder to lose the weight. 

Make a Journal for your Food Intake, Resistance and Cardio Training

Image Credits: Make Over Fitness

Eating mindlessly will not help. I have met so many people over the years that tell me, "Oh, I eat healthy". "I don't need any help with that part". However, I always wonder do they eat too much healthy food because most of them fall into the obese or morbidly obese category. It is a great to eat healthy, but still eat too much were you will not lose weight and maintain your current weight or gain. It is like the old saying goes, "You can eat 100 lbs. of lettuce and still gain fat". It is all about portion control! I have gone out to eat with some of these people and they can easily eat an entire plate at a restaurant not realizing that they are eating 3 - 4 servings. In order to lose weight, you have to make a deficit, but how would you know if you are not tracking what and the amounts you are eating? Writing down what you eat per day will open your eyes on whether you are eating too much are not enough depending on your goals. 

The same thing goes for working out. I have met so many people that tell me they workout, but I look at them everyday for years and they always look the same or are getting bigger. I have watched these people around in the gym and most of the time it looks like they are lost or messing around. Some do workout, but are not doing the exercises correctly. It pretty much looks like those videos of people doing all the machines in the wrong way. None of them are writing down what they do per day or change up their routines. So how do you know if you are making gains or loses when you are not writing anything down? 

Just like when you went to college or worked up towards your career you had to study for it, right? You had to know what to do and how to do it write everything down. Then, you would get tested to see if you know what you are talking about in order to receive your degree, associates or gain that promotion, correct? Well, just like you had to be tedious with you studies for your career it is the same for fitness. If you do not know what you are doing and you need a plan then, ask for help. That is what I am here for. I have tips here on my blog, but if you know that you are not able to make a plan for yourself I can help you online for a fee. With my training, I have made some impressive physiques. However, these people listened to what I said and practiced what I preached.