Fitness. Strength. Nutrition.
Strength Training
How To Get Bigger Legs
Sep 1st
If you want to know how to get bigger legs, then I applaud you! I can’t express the amount of times I have heard people, especially women ask me how to tone up their legs. Getting bigger legs is actually pretty easy, if you do it the right way. A lot of it comes from the kind of training that you do, and of course even more stems from the things you eat. Don’t get the right combination of the two, and you are going to struggle to achieve your goal. Follow these three simple pieces of advice, and you will be getting bigger legs in no time.
7 Best Hamstring Exercises
Aug 26th
Hamstrings are the forgotten muscle. When we think of legs, most of us will head straight to quad work. This is great and totally necessary, but without balance in your training, you are not going to go very far. It is extremely important to include a range of hamstring exercises into your training, and you often need to isolate them relatively. There are very few people out there that actually have adequate hamstring development, and there is usually a lot of work needed.
Why You Need To Work Your Hamstrings
Push Up Vs Bench Press
Aug 25th
People often want to know the difference between the push up and bench press. They actually don’t work exactly the same muscles, one is not better than the other, and you can get important benefits from both. One gives you a means to create huge amounts of power, and one gives you a way to get strong and protect your shoulder at the same time. Read on to understand the important differences and find out more about the push up vs bench press.
Muscles Used In Push Ups And Bench Press
Do Squats Make You Jump Higher?
Aug 25th
The short answer is yes, most definitely. If you want to jump higher, the squat is a must do exercise. The correlation between increasing your squat, and increasing your jump is extremely high, and although some people need more reactivity training than others, everyone can do with getting their squat up.
To put it simply, the movement of a squat is exactly like the movement of a jump. Get your maxiumum squat strength up, you are without a doubt going to get your maximum jump up. The fact is that most people looking to increase their vertical jump, will probably just be lacking big time in brute strength, without a base on the squat, you aren’t going to get off the ground.
Leg Exercise Equipment: Do You Need It?
Aug 24th
There is an ongoing argument about using leg exercise equipment as opposed to doing free weights. The fact is, in my opinion at least, free weights wins out almost every time for leg exercises. This is not to say that exercise machines do not have their place, however if you want to build a great strong body, the most effective way is to lift a lot of weights with a lot of different muscles. Compound exercises with dumbbells and barbells will more often than not achieve this.
Free Weights Vs Equipment
Build Muscle 101
Aug 24th
If you want to build muscle, there are right and wrong ways to go about it. Wasting your time doing the wrong weights, or wasting your time eating badly will both prevent you from gaining and building muscle at a decent rate. You need to lift correctly, and you need to eat correctly. Follow this simple formula, and you will be building muscle in no time.
Why Is Building Muscle So Important?
People are often reluctant to build muscle, whether it is because they don’t want to put in the work, they don’t want to get too bulky, or they think that cardio is a more efficient means of attaining their goals. There are more than just the obvious benefits of building muscle strength:
How To Do Step Ups
Aug 2nd
I am a huge advocate of the step up exercise and there is a good reason why. Not only does it help you build strength through your legs, it also places minimum stress on your knees and back, and for someone who jumps a lot, it is a great way to get some serious strength work in without suffering. Squats should be a part of everyone’s program, done correctly, they are fantastic and absolutely necessary. However, regardless of the perfect technique you obtain, they do place a bit more stress on the body, and I for one always pull up with a lot more soreness (let me reiterate, before I get bombed with comments… that I am not saying squats are bad for your knees or for anything, they are great and I do them all the time). I still do squats, but the step up gives me another opportunity to have a great way, to get strong and explosive and finish feeling fantastic every time.
Leg Workouts To Jump Higher
Jul 12th
Want to jump higher? There is no real secret to increasing your jump, and requires the same thing that everything else in life does, hard work. However, the fact is that a lot of people go about it the wrong way. There are a lot of mistakes that you can make along the way, and some of them can cause a lot of injuries. It takes a step by step approach to increase your vertical jump, and with some smart training, you will succeed. Remember it depends on what your starting point is, some people are ore advanced than others, this is aimed at those that are basically starting from a low level base, read through and you can adapt it to your own level, starting at different stages.
How To Tone Legs And Thighs
Jul 9th
If I could have a dollar every time someone asked me this question, I would be a very rich girl. So many women are after the best way to tone their legs and thighs, and as a consequence, are receiving some pretty bad information in return. We’ll start by dispelling a common myth that annoys me, and consequently learn how you actually really can tone your legs and thighs effectively.
The Myth Surrounding The Word ‘Tone’
Leg Workout: Don’t Miss Out
Mar 30th
It is not uncommon to walk into a gym, take a quick look around, and be utterly impressed by the physiques of some of the guys that are pumping iron. However, if you feel intimidated, for even a moment, just take a look down. Majority of these guys are going to have legs the size of chickens. The fact is, that leg work is not seen as important, and ultra skinny legs is a common phenomenon in many gyms. The good news is that although it may be a bit dusty, you can be sure that the squat rack is free and ready for you to use. A good leg workout is important. So they may not be the first thing the ladies look at while you are strutting around the beach, but I promise you, for men and women, leg workouts are essential part of your program, and something you should not ignore.
25 Ways To Be Unfat
Mar 22nd
This is a guest post by Darrin Clement, who runs WorldFitnessNetwork. Visit http://worldfitnessnetwork.com to learn more about the art and science of developing lean muscle mass and an awesome physique.
Nobody wants to be a fatty. Whether you are now fat, on your way to being fat, or just want to get leaner, there are countless things to keep in mind.
With so many ways, I’ll overrule my usual verbose nature and dive in, somewhat tersely, with the 25 Ways To Be Unfat. Each of these could be its own article (or even its own book!). But I’m just giving you a sentence or two for starters. We’ll break these down into 5 categories: Overview, Attitude and Behavior, Eating, Lifting, and Cardio.
Bum Exercises: 8 of the best
Jan 29th
We have spoken many times on this blog about the importance of getting your butt in gear, but we are going to go through it once again. There are some things that I like to overdo, this is one of them.
Pelvic Tilts: Part 2
Jul 18th
We talked about pelvic tilts and the different ways your hip can sit in part 1. It has been a very long time coming but here is Part 2 and it is going to show you how you can go about fixing those tilts and get back into realignment. However, keep in mind that just because generally when your hamstrings are loose and your hip flexors tight, you will have an anterior tilt, each person is different. The primary reason for the tilt may be coming from the hip flexors. I will tell you what to remedy for each condition, but just keep in mind everyone is an individual. In saying that, if you do have a severe tilt either way, then it is likely all the exercises will help get rid of it. Most people stand in an anterior tilt, but sit in a posterior tilt. More about that later too!
No Equipment? No Excuses: 20 Exercises You Can Do At Home
Jul 2nd
- No gym,
- No weights,
- No equipment.
Can a decent workout be done? Yes
Is it ideal? No
There is always a time when you can’t get to the gym, or don’t have the hour or two to get there do the workout and get home. If you haven’t set your own home gym up, there is still a lot you can do. You won’t get you the gains that you will get from going to the gym, lifting weights and completing your full program, but they certainly aren’t easy, and will at least help you maintain your work, and take no time at all…which means no excuses.
Glute Activation 101
Apr 22nd
Something different today, a video post. No time to write and this was faster. Excuse my extreme Aussie accent that I didn’t realise I had until I heard myself. Quality isn’t there sometimes but I think you get the drift. Enjoy. Feedback would be nice…more or less video posts?
Glute Activation 101 from LaurensFitness on Vimeo.
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Eccentric: Hammer Your Hamstrings
Mar 31st
Hamstrings can become the forgotten muscle. They aren’t the sexiest muscle and in a lot of programs they don’t get enough devotion. So, how do we get more bang for our buck and hit those annoying hamstrings harder? With eccentric exercises of course.
What Is Eccentric Exercise?
There are two types of muscle contractions.
- Concentric contraction occurs when the muscle is shortening.
- Eccentric contraction occurs when the muscle is lengthening.
The best way to picture this is doing a bicep curl. When you bring the weight up, you are performing a concentric contraction, when you lower the weight; your biceps are working eccentrically to lower the weight with control.
Push-Ups: Don’t Miss Out
Mar 3rd
The push up is one of the oldest exercises in the book, and for good reason. It works. People have used it throughout time to build strength, get a better physique and prove their manliness! The thing is, this exercise is simply one of the best you can do for your shoulder health. You are too advanced for push-ups? Take a step back, read this post and rethink your stance on the old push-up.
Why Push Ups?
Push-ups are one of my favourite exercises, here why:
- Good compound exercise that targets the chest, shoulders and triceps.
Wide Grip Bench: Do You Need It?
Feb 21st
Shoulder problems are common in the weightlifting circle. A lot of shoulder complaints come after Bench Pressing. Most injuries from weightlifting come from incorrect lifting. If you are having shoulder issues, check your grip, it might be too wide.
What Is A Wide Grip?
Wide grip bench press is classed for research reasons as anything over 1.5 times your biacromial width. The biacromial width is basically the length between both tips of your shoulders (the acromioclavicular joint is the little point your feel at the top of your shoulder). Any wider than that is classified as a wide grip bench press. Mehdi over at Strong Lifts suggests grip width is usually 55-65cm between thumbs depending on your build. A good cue is that forearms should be about perpendicular to the floor from all angles.
Injury Prevention: The Ultimate Checklist
Feb 17th
Nobody wants injuries. Whether you are an athlete, a weight lifter, a runner or someone trying to get fit, injuries suck. The good news is you can do a lot to prevent them. See how many of these points you can check off. Are you being safe in the gym?
1. Warm Up
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, you need to warm up. I am going to start sounding like a broken record, mainly in the hope that if you read some of this stuff enough times, the importance may sink in. Even if you feel like you can jump straight into it, one day you won’t, and when that day comes, it will be painful. A good warm up will
Healthy Knees: 10 Tips to Prevent Pain
Feb 4th
Knee pain is one of the most common ailments people report when exercising. Everyone is putting their knee joint under stress regularly, especially those participating in exercise and lifting. The good news is, there are so many things you can, and should be doing to prevent it. Read on for some tips on how to keep your knees healthy and pain free (in no particular order).
1. Warm Up Correctly
