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Submissions
Note: These are user submitted tips, and are not endorsed by Fitness Factory or any personal trainer.
10-28-2011
Listening to music is a great way to prepare yourself mentally for participating in any activity. The power of music to influence, cajole and inspire us as humans is a well known fact. Its use in aerobics is no less potent, as music in this form stimulates the body and energizes it for the workout at hand. So, if you are having problems in establishing an exercise routine or perhaps are so unmotivated that you have not even started; consider incorporating some aerobics music in your routine to kick start your regimen.
10-21-2011
Replace your sneakers often. At least after every 250 - 500 miles of walking/running. After this, the support structure of the shoe starts to break down, and is little better than running is sandals. Also remember to replace your socks often. Old socks turn gritty and lose their softness. Socks are cheap enough that you shouldn't have to put up with aging pairs.
10-14-2011
Instead of trying to stack on more weight than you can do go for a weight that you can do about 6 to 8 reps with and switch up your workouts every 2 weeks to confuse your muscles, this technique is very effective, you can greatly increase your strength without having to train to failure every time. - Submitted by Louie Crisci
10-07-2011: Calorie Burning
What burns more fat? Running on the treadmill or 1/2 hr of weights. Answer: Running will burn more calories at the moment (perhaps 300 calories for 1/2 hour) but a 1/2 hour weight lifting session will suck up more calories thoughout the day because the body needs to recover from muscle break down. In addition, the more muscle you have the more your body will metabolize fat and increase your caloric effectiveness. So PUMP UP! - Jim, Indiana
09-16-2011: Home Gym & Functional Training Comparisons
"Home gyms strive to offer consumers one machine with all the strength training exercises you can get at the
club. In order to accomplish this, home gyms must combine many exercise stations in one compact and affordable gym. Historically, home gyms offer a set of fixed path exercises combined with a few pulley stations. A fixed path machine guides your motion through a proper range of motion typically in a single plane. While traditional home gyms offer many guided exercises, the pulley stations on any machine require the user to control the motion. More..."
Read Entire Article >>
09-09-2011: Corporate Wellness
"There is no doubt that businesses are looking to run lean and mean in today's economy, but those that fail to make room for employee wellness are only supersizing future health care bills. I commend Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel for his recently announced plans to pursue a workplace wellness program for city employees and encourage Chicago's other civic and business leaders to follow his lead. Workplace wellness is not a passing trend or a human resources platitude. When implemented correctly, wellness programs are an incredibly effective tool for managing costs. For every $1 spent on wellness measures, evidence shows medical expenses fall by more than $3. More..." Read Entire Article >>
, Chicago Tribune, September 4, 2011
09-02-2011:
"Instead of trying to stack on more weight than you can do go for a weight that you can do about 6 to 8 reps with and switch up your workouts every 2 weeks to confuse your muscles, this technique is very effective, you can greatly increase your strength without having to train to failure every time."
Submittted by Louie Crisci
08-26-2011:
As kids our parents never had to force us to go outside and play ball. We did it because it was fun. Make your work-outs fun so you will look forward to working out, instead of coming up with excuses and missing your work-outs."
Submittted by Rick Allen
08-19-2011:
"Fitness is all about power output. Force x Distance / Time = Power. Force is the load you're moving, Distance is how far you're moving it, and Time is how fast you're moving it. Move more weight, a further distance, in a faster time and your power output will increase and you will be a fitter athlete."
Submittted by TJ Miller
08-12-2011:
"I prefer DB benches due to shoulder injuries. How I kick it up a notch is simple: Set 1, Start with hands parallel and pronate (regular grip) at the top. Start at a higher chest position, which will involve more upper chest (who doesn't need extra help there?). Next set, same grips, just make it more of a true bench press over the medial (center) of the chest. Then, your last two sets begin with a pronated grip, and at the top 3/4 of the movement change to parallel. Next workout, alternate these two different styles with each set. The parallel grip is easier on the shoulders for many people. Remember form and intensity (concentrate on the negative portion working slowly) is many times more important than weight."
Submittted by Kurt Engelhart
"When training and doing reps, instead of counting up from 1-10. Do a count down from 10-1. This will make your count and lifting easier. This will mentally and makes it easy for you to complete a set of 10 for example." Submittted by Master Jose Isidro
07-29-2011:
"Use compound movements (squats, deadlift, bench press) whenever training for mass. It produces hormonal response that adds size quickly. These three main lifts will effectively work every muscle in your body. As always, use strictest form and the last set should always go to exhaustion. Don't forget to Eat, Eat, Eat and Eat." Submittted by Tam Le
07-22-2011:
""The BMI Plus Calculator at WebMD is a health and weight calculator that gives personal results on six different weight and fitness measurements. BMI is used to determine whether your weight is appropriate for your height. The risk of chronic disease such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes is found to increase in proportion to BMI. Start here: www.webmd.com/diet/calc-bmi-plus"
07-15-2011:
" "It's always a good idea to warm up before a workout, no matter what. Your body literally needs to warm up so that blood flow increases, the nervous system wakes up, and the body starts to use energy and oxygen more efficiently. If you go to a full workout without the warm up, your body cannot perform as well. Also you will be less stiff during and after."
07-08-2011:
"I have found out that when you work on your biceps or tricepts, or any other part of your body, you can get the most out of your workout by doing 2-3 different excercises per muscle group. Most muscle groups are made up of several muscles. If you pick one day a week, and just concentrate on that group, you will see a big improvment in size, and look." Submittted by 'vschraufnagl'
07-01-2011:
"RELOAD YOUR GUNS, a new study from Norway has determined that the barbell bench press activates your triceps significantly more than the dumbbell bench does. That's because the barbell is more stable. If your want to hit your tricpes even harder, use a shoulder-width grip and try to tear the bar apart as you push it up from your chest." Submittted by Stu
06-24-2011:
"To get the most out of your workout in the least amount of time, I recommend using functional exercises in multiple planes of motion (i.e. lunges with torso rotation, 1-arm TRX rows, or mountain climbers combined with push-ups and a plank twist). Using the body in all three planes of motion helps to create greater athletic ability. The more major muscles groups that can be recruited simultaneously, the more calories that can burned in a workout!" Submittted by Ashley Ridge
06-17-2011:
"Remember stretching AFTER your workouts are safer and will increase flexibility! Picture your muscles like PLAY-DOE! After you roll it up in your hands and get it nice and warm it will stretch much better without tearing!"
Submittted by 'Amy Payne, Fitness Instructor/personal trainer with 23 years experience'
06-10-2011:
"Fitness tip I: Create a combination exercise by engaging your abs when doing pull ups. Start by hanging from the bar with palms facing toward you and legs extended straight out so your body forms an "L" shape. As you pull up, drop your legs so they hang straight down when you reach the top of pull. As you lower yourself, raise your legs again to the "L" position. Do as many reps as possible. Incorporating the abs/legs makes it much harder than a simple pull up so the number of reps you initially perform will likely be lower than you used to.
"Fitness tip II: If you can perform a side plank with ease, make it harder by adding movement. In the side-plank position on your right arm, extend your left arm straight up from your body and bend your left knee as if about to kick a ball. Keep your left arm straight and lower it to touch that ground while at the same time moving your left backwards. As you raise your arm back up swing your left leg forward so it's beyond your right leg when your arm reaches the top position (a kicking motion). Do the movement in a controlled way (not too fast) and, to maintain proper form, it helps to keep your head/eyes fixed on your moving hand."
Submittted by 'Ben Chayes, CT
06-03-2011:
"With bad knees that have been surgically repaired I alternate between a treadmill and elliptical to burn calories but alternate the muscles used and vary the level of stress on the knees. Throw in swimming when I can and a hot tub whrlpool action for fast recovery. At 55 this helps me stay in shape and pain and ihjury free." Submittted by 'sdc8181'
05-27-2011:
05-19-2011:
05-12-2011:
"This is about using the POWER RACK. If your gym doesn't have a power rack, find another gym. Or at least scream and stomp until they buy one, because if you never use the rack, you're missing out on a ton of strength and size gains! Nothing beats the power rack for safety when it comes to squats, and if you have a sticking point somewhere in your R.O.M., (range of motion), when squatting that you can't get past, use the rack for partials, and maybe some isometric work to blow past that sticking point. The same holds true for many other exercises, from the bench press at any angle, to curls, to deadlifts, to standing calf raises."
"At The Dungeon, we've seen gains of 100 pounds in a power lifter's squat from less that a month of rack work, and I couldn't even count how many have busted past a big barrier... like 500 lb. deadlift, using the rack. I myself gained 60, (yep, that's 6 - 0...60), pounds of quality muscle over three years using the rack for a couple of months at a time, coupled with conventional training for 4 - 6 months, on a rotational basis. And the rack work, although incredibly grueling, rarely made me sore. So to if you're having trouble making gains . . hit the rack!"
Submitted by Sharon Lewis
05-05-2011:
"Never use an 'E-Z Curl' bar for training biceps. Whenever you do curls, your wrists should be supinated, (turned out), as far as possible. If you use an E-Z bar, it pronates, (turns in), your wrists. With the wrists turned in, you can't completely contract the biceps. You can illustrate this point with a little experiment: Contract your right bicep, or "make a muscle", as they say. Put the fingertips of your left hand on the top of your right bicep. Now, turn your right wrist so you are looking at the back of your right hand. Your bicep went slack, didn't it? Now, rotate you wrist the other way . . . so your little finger is the closest part of your hand to your face. The bicep gets REAL hard. That's a fully contracted bicep! The E-Z bar, places your hands and wrists in a position that makes it impossible to fully contract your biceps . . . a semi-pronated position. Not too efficient for building biceps, is it? Therefore, a straight bar is just the ticket for doing curls. The key is, that you need to squeeze that straight bar like it's your little brother's neck right after he used your favorite shirt to clean the spokes of his bike!
"Squeezing the bar is always a good idea because it will enhance grip strength as well as forearm development, but for curls, it is even more imperative that you squeeze. If you let your grip loosen up, you'll pronate your hands . . . then, you might as well be using the E-Z bar! The name "E-Z Curl" bar should've been a tip-off. You never want to make an exercise easier . . . you want to make it harder. That's to say, make the target muscle work harder. E-Z bars are great for tricep work, but that's another TIP!"
Submitted by Mark L.
04-28-2011:
"I use bands at the end of my bicep and tricep workouts to hit every single fiber in the muscles for awesome pumps" Submitted by Matt C.
"If leg cramps are a problem for you, try drinking 8 oz of tonic water daily. The quinine in it can help reduce the frequency of leg cramps." Submitted by mneeley18
04-21-2011:
"For us 'older' folks (Masters), suggest using dumbbells instead of an Olympic Bar for various Benching exercises. A lot easier on the shoulders. Probably can't do the same total weight (you won't), but the stress on the various parts of your shoulders will greatly appreciate it. A side note: since there is more involved with balance using dumbbells, you may find that the muscles you really want to exercise actually are getting a better workout!" Phil and Jane, Ladera Ranch, CA
04-14-2011:
"Many of us just want to shed some of those extra pounds but aren't finding success despite hours on the treadmill, stair step machine and in spin class. According to research, increased muscle mass helps the body burn more fat throughout the day. This in turn assists our efforts to lose inches and change the shape of our bodies for the better. The numbers are impressive: muscle tissue burns 25 percent more calories than fat tissue. So by strength training, we can increase muscle tissue and raise the rate at which calories are burned. " Jim, Sacramento, CA
04-07-2011:
"I think the most overlooked accessory is a head harness. No matter what season it is, your neck is always visible. I have found that using it while sitting on the end of a bench seems to isolate your neck better than performing it standing with your hands on your knees. You would be surprised at how quickly your neck gains strength." Marcus Hansen, Sylvania, OH
03-31-2011:
"I wear a weight vest during cardio to make my workout more efficient. I also use it during pull-ups and push-ups. Make sure it is snug while wearing it because if it moves around it'll be distracting." Torey, Forest Park IL
