The Back Attack Workout! The back is one of Rosalie’s favorite muscles to work because when you have a strong back you look taller, leaner and stronger. Also, what a lot of people don’t realize is that the back is one of the largest muscle groups in your body so…
How To Get Tight and Firm Thighs Fitness trainer Rosalie Brown is back on Total Gym Pulse to show us an amazing workout to firm and tighten the inner and outer thighs using The Total Gym. Rosalie says this is one area of the body many of her clients complain…
Introducing The Total Gym Press-Up Bar! Hey Total Gym Team, I hope you’re all having a fabulous summer! Today, we’re going to focus on one of the many cool accessories you can purchase for your Total Gym Fit, XLS or Flex - The Press-Up Bar I’m going to give you…
As a trainer and group exercise instructor who teaches both morning and evening classes, I have often been asked which is better: to exercise in the morning or to work out in the evening? People also question whether they should eat before or after a workout.
The answer is not straightforward. It depends on your lifestyle, your exercise goals and your own body’s metabolism; that being said, if you had to choose one ideal time of day to exercise, choose the morning. It starts the day on a positive health note and influences the choices you make the rest of the day. As an added benefit, oxygen consumption after your workout is stimulated which boosts the metabolism and allows you to burn more calories for the remainder of the day while you are active or at rest.
Once you’ve decided to make time in the morning to exercise, you must figure out what you want to do and why. Is weight loss your goal? Is strength training or body building what you’d like to focus upon? Do you want to improve your balance and increase core strength?
Studies have shown that high intensity interval training (HIIT) and functional training exercises benefit people the most in the shortest amount of time. Short bursts of intense activity burn lots of calories without taxing the joints. And functional exercises use multiple joints at once, recruiting more muscle fibers and burning more calories. Plus functional exercises may be movements that you use in your sport of choice and in activities of daily living. Activating more muscles also releases specific hormones, which are key in building muscle—it’s a very efficient cycle. If you decide to only use HIIT, there are literally hundreds of combinations you can create to tailor your morning burn into something you enjoy, including dancing, biking, swimming, or pumping iron.
Finally, what should you do about fuel for your body? If you’re rolling out of bed and hitting the gym, do you also need to make time for a healthy breakfast?
Research has shown that people can exercise on an empty stomach without harmful effects as long as they hydrate. Doctors recommend hydrating 10 minutes before you start your workout with 8-10 ounces of water. For every pound of body weight lost during exercise, drink 16-20 ounces of water.
If exercising for an hour (or less) on a full stomach makes you nauseous, don’t worry about eating until you’re done. In fact, your body will burn stored fat during exercise while performing fasted cardio. This may be particularly appealing if you want to lose weight. Just remember to eat right after you’re finished exercising. For building muscle, however, try to ingest some calories before working out and then afterwards too. There are many resources for healthy, activity-specific breakfast suggestions online, from thermogenic shakes to protein-packed pancakes.
Now that you’ve got the time nailed down and the breakfast question answered, it’s time to choose some effective exercises. Since most people don’t have a lot of time in the morning, the following workout suggestions are circuit-type, high intensity exercises to maximize the benefits of exercise in a short period.
Make sure to include a warm-up and don’t forget to stretch at the end. The stretch cool down can be a time to meditate on healthful intentions for the day. Yoga stretches may be used. After all, flexibility and the mind-body connection are an important part of being physically fit.
The shortest workout is Tabata, which is only four minutes long and consists of 20-second bursts of extremely intense work, and 10-second breaks. You can do the same exercise eight times or use a different exercise for each 20-second burst, depending on how creative you’re feeling. You can even extend the sets to fill up 30 minutes or a whole hour, if you have the time. Don’t worry about counting the number of reps of each exercise. Just remember, complete as many reps as you can safely perform in 20 seconds, then take 10 seconds off. There are Tabata timer apps that help keep you on track. Or you can use a stopwatch.
The Total Gym may be used for cardiovascular and plyometric movements and it’s very versatile in creating multi-muscle exercise routines using body weight and gravity to sculpt muscles. But you can put in dance, kickboxing or whatever movements make you happy. Don’t, however, choose exercises that demand a lot of equipment or lengthy set-up, since you only have 10 seconds to change over.
Workout I
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Miss Fitness America Sherry Goggin joins us on Total Gym Pulse to bring us her Total Gym Boot Camp Workout! This consists of alternating from one exercise to another with no rest period between exercises.
Sherry begins with bicep curls. She starts by keeping her arms down at her side, palms up and slowly brings them up in a curling motion.
Sherry transitions to the next exercise working the shoulders with upright raises. Keep your elbows up high, back straight and stick your chest out as you bring the cables to your chin.
Fitness trainer John Peel shows us how to get a strong back using The Total Gym. In this segment, John demonstrates three different exercises that will help strengthen your back and improve your posture.
The first exercise John demonstrates is the “Seated Row.” Do this by sitting up straight, lean slightly back and hold the cables with your palms facing down. Pull the cables toward you bringing your hands all the way to your ribcage and extend back out. If you want to challenge yourself further, pause for three seconds when bringing the cables toward your before releasing back down.
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Any type of fitness challenge requires commitment, determination, consistency and a plan-of-action to accomplish a set goal. I have created a 3-Week Pike-Up Challenge that will benefit your body mentally as well as physically in minimal time!
New to a fitness challenge? Have no fear! It’s as simple as making a commitment, just like with anything else. With the determination to succeed you can take on the challenge! Keep in mind your current fitness level and start with the basic pike-up movements from week one to build your core strength base, and progress when your body is ready.
This is the final week of the challenge so if you’re just joining in now, please refer back to Week 1 for the basic pike-up exercises. The third week contains a new set of advanced exercises that challenge core balance and stability. These exercises utilize different ranges of motion and functional total body strength.
Looking for a fitness challenge that improves physical and mental strength, core stamina, and muscle definition on your Total Gym? Well, I have the challenge for you!
Whether you want to build muscle, lose weight, gain functional core strength, or just want to change up your current workout, this 3-Week Pike-Up Challenge may be just what you’re looking for.
This is the second week of the challenge; so if you’re just joining in now, please refer back to week one for the basic pike-up exercises. The second week contains a new set of intermediate exercises to be performed at moderate intensity. These exercises will challenge your body by utilizing different ranges of motion and functional total body strength.
Before beginning this week’s new exercises, make sure your body is ready to progress with the new challenges. As with any fitness program, learning proper form is the key to success for your body to adapt. Once you feel confident and strong from within and the exercises become easy, then you know you’re ready to add more challenging exercises!
THE CHALLENGE
The Pike-Up Challenge is a 3-week commitment to yourself and your body.
Each week the exercises change by adding a variety of pike-up movements that progress in fitness levels. Last week (week 1), we covered proper pike-up form and ways to progress the exercises at a beginner level. This week (week 2), we will progress to intermediate exercises. The final week, (week 3), will explore advanced pike-up movements and combinations.
This is a fun challenge that develops inner core strength within a set period of time. Always progress when you are ready. If what I provide isn’t enough and you need more of a challenge, you can alter the workload by changing the reps, sets, and number of exercises performed during your workout session!
Ah, summer! Just saying the word makes me happy. Especially when the best thing that goes with summer is the beach! Yes, summer and the beach go together like peanut butter and jelly. Not only is the beach a great place to get away and relax, but it is one of the best places to have an amazing workout. Exercising in the sand makes everything a little bit more challenging. Whether you’re a novice or a pro, young or old; one of nature’s greatest gifts has something for you.
Don’t get pigeon-holed into thinking that your beach workout has to consist of only squats and sand runs. Today I am going to make it really simple to get a total body workout with just a beach ball and towel. Come take a walk on the sandy side with me; No matter your age or level of fitness, these beach exercises are sure to please.
What you will need:
Exercises:
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The Total Gym Wing Attachment is a multi-use accessory for targeting muscles in the back, shoulders, legs and abdomen. It’s great for simple or compound moves and comes in two options: the single unit option and the two-piece option. Both have padded foot and handle bars for comfort. The two-piece unit offers greater range of motion, especially for people with wider shoulders. Both are easy to install and quite versatile.
When connected at the top of the gliderails, the Wing Attachment is used for pulling exercises in both the upper and lower extremities. If the Wing Attachment is positioned at the bottom of the rails, it can be used in pushing exercises to build the shoulders, chest and arms. In either position, the Wing Attachment provides a great ab workout. And, when combined with the pulley cable, you get an effective Total Gym workout that’s efficient if you’re short on time.
Studies show that varying your grip in pulling exercises recruits different muscles in the arms. The biceps are recruited more during underhand grip chin-ups, whereas the triceps are used more during the overhand grip pull up. Other muscles targeted in chin-ups and pull-ups include the lats, traps, pecs and abdominals, including the spinal stabilizers.