One of my favorite variations is what’s often referred to as an Australian pull-up. This variation involves hanging below a bar that is set just above waist height while keeping your heels in contact with the ground. You’ll wind up at an angle that’s closer to horizontal than vertical. The Australian pull-up is a great way to work up to doing a regular pull-up if you aren’t strong enough to do one yet.

Even if you are strong enough to do lots of pull-ups, the Australian pull-up is still worth putting into your routine. It puts a little more emphasis on the rear delts and the muscles of your middle-back; muscles that may not be getting completely and thoroughly worked with regular pull-ups alone. For those of you who are more advanced, try doing them as a superset right after a set of regular pull-ups. This is a great way to work towards adding more reps to your pull-up total!

The Australian pull-up can be done on a Smith machine or any bar that is about waist height as long as it is securely in place. The Smith machine is great for this exercise because it is adjustable (the higher the bar the easier it will be–so start high if you’re first learning) and secure. You can get creative with finding cool places to practice these and all types of pull-ups, just stay mindful of your safety.

Walking for Health

You want to start with something you know you can do every day.  So starting off by lifting heavy heights or doing sprints right away are going to leave your body sore and make you less likely to workout the next day.

Lunch Break Walking

A great way to start a workout routine is by taking a half hour walk during the lunch hour.  The goals right now are to get your heart pumping, break a little sweat and make your body to want to do it again the next day.  Once you get into a routine, your body will crave the exercise and will begin to want more.  Also, walking will prepare your legs for the running you’ll be doing in the coming weeks, which we’ll get into in my next article.

By Kevin Finley

Mind Exercise

Consider isometric exercise. First, place your left hand flat across your right chest and shoulder. Take your right hand and extend it to the side. Make a fist and imagine that you are pulling a beautiful new Mercedes in front of you. The car is heavy, imagine the brakes on, but pull with all your might—if you can pull that monster 5-series hard enough, it will be yours.

In reality, there is no car, no handle, and no brakes. But if you put your mind into that visualization, your pecs were rippling under your left hand and if you were in front of a mirror you saw the pump.

But you never touched a weight.

That was your mind working the muscle. And that’s the only way a muscle works to achieve the anaerobic effect that builds strength and size.

Mind Exercises

Mind Muscle Control

This is nothing new to weight lifters. The mirrors in gyms are not for the benefit of looking at beautiful bodies, the mirrors are there so lifters can better focus on the muscle they are working. The mind, not the weight, creates the catalyst for a chain reaction that is anaerobic (without oxygen) and creates ultimate strength. It only lasts a minute or so, which is why boxing rounds are so short.

My brother used these techniques to break handcuffs, pop tennis balls in his hands, bend quarters and even survive hanging. Crazy? No, there’s plenty of evidence, in first hand witnesses, video and print.

Exercise with No Results

If you’ve been working out on a regular basis with no results, then you are not truly making the mind-muscle connection. Sometimes I call this ugly face exercise: it’s the point when you are exercising where you grit your teeth, your eyes are not really focused and you may not for the moment know where you are or what you’re doing, other than giving it 110%. That is when you’ve your anaerobic range. That is when you’ve told your body to deliver more nutrients for muscle tone and strength and for bone density. Your body is devouring carbs and you’ve also sparked your metabolism to stay on the ready for the next 24 hours, thereby burning more calories.

So, want to exercise brainless or do you want to incorporate some mental muscle?

By Laura Dayton

I’m talking about jacking your treadmill up to its max, then holding on for dear life. Sure the sweat starts flowing and those shoulders and biceps are pumped. But the fact is that you’re probably burning less calories than if you were at half the incline and pumping your arms by your side.

Treadmill Hill Climb

If you’re able to hold that high incline and pump without holding on you are indeed burning calories at a marathon rate. However, most people hold on, and as soon as you grab the monitor you are taking the resistance off your legs, the giant muscle group that is so successful at burning calories. Your arms and shoulders are holding you in place, while the treadmill glides underneath.

Think About It

The benefit you get on the treadmill comes as a result of you having to keep your pace at exactly that of the treadmill, or fall off. Too low a speed is no challenge. High speed is great. Speed that causes you to hold on or fall if may look cool, but you’re not using this machine to best of its ability.

Treadmill Hill Climbing

Interval training works best at burning calories, whether running or on the treadmill, trade off fast sprints for a easier fast-walk or jog. While running is hands-down a great calorie burner, once you hit 40 your knees don’t need the impact of uphill climbing. Outdoors and setting your own pace is more exhilarating, but you need to pace and push yourself. A running track is best. If you only have uneven pavement to run on, get a treadmill for home or join a gym. What you spend will easily pay you back in better knees and a thinner waist line.

Creative Walking

The lower body has the most muscles that work in synergy, so they burn the most calories when walking, running or climbing. The thing is, we weren’t meant to live into our 50s and still want to ski, skateboard, bicycle and otherwise beat up on our knees. So the smart person would intersperse some other lower body activities, along with walking, running and climbing.

I know this may sound silly, but skipping is not a bad workout and it’s easy on the knees. If you want silly, look to those folks who think Pilates is going shape the perfect body. Try walking with different gaits, walking while lunging, or performing some sprint work with jumping jacks and skipping rope on a grassy or other easy-give surface. Dust off those old roller blades—it’s great exercise. And don’t be afraid to bring along a pole. Just buy a 4-5 ft. piece of closet rod, put one-inch plastic caps on each end and you have a balance pole, extra brake and emergency pivot point.

Work that lower body, but work it different ways, and make it – not your upper body – do the work.

By Laura Dayton

Yes, there are numerous reasons or excuses one can cite for carrying around those extra pounds. Many people blame a fast-paced lifestyle that doesn’t allow proper time for good eating. Some point to poor metabolism, believing that counting calories just won’t work for them. Most commonly, though, the real reason is a diet high in fat and calories and low in fiber and nutrients, along with an insufficient level of exercise. While nutrition is extremely important, it goes hand-in-hand with burning calories through some sort of fitness plan.

Exercise Procrastination Exercise

Many people who have experienced a roller-coaster ride of weight highs and lows have failed to integrate proper nutrition and exercise into their daily lifestyle. Often, these same people have always impulsively turned to the latest diet trend, only to become discouraged when the most current weight-loss trick didn’t peel away the pounds as was promised. Does this sound familiar?

If you’ve passionately followed a fad diet only to find it didn’t work, you may have gotten discouraged. If you’ve ever lost weight quickly only to rebound with the same old bad habits when you reached your target, you know that diet integrity needs to be a constant element of your lifestyle. Maybe you have decided that you just don’t have the patience for that long road that is the only real path to the sexy figure you long for. Or maybe you’re clinging to the excuse that losing weight just isn’t in the cards for you. Nonsense!

Stop the Procrastination

The fact is you can change your metabolism by boosting it with aerobic activity. And you can lose pounds forever if you maintain a higher standard for what you put in your mouth. It may not happen quickly, but it will happen if you follow the rules. Why then, are you putting it off?

You have probably delayed your diet for any one of a few reasons mentioned above. It could be disillusionment atprevious failed attempts. It could be the fear that you will never lose the weight. Or, quite simply, it could be that you are addicted to the comfort that certain foods provide.

When you lose the weight, (and you will if you just stick with it), you’ll have more energy. You’ll probably have a more upbeat outlook. And your health will certainly be greatly improved.

You’ve surely heard the adage about today being the first day of the rest of your life. That’s a poignant message for anyone who needs to reclaim their health through weight loss. So stop procrastinating. There is no tomorrow in weight loss.

By Mike Brooks

Eye Health Tips

If there was a way to improve your eye sight, that didn’t cost thousands of dollars in expensive surgery, would you do it? I know what you’re thinking, and no, it’s not a drug. Simply put, the body’s ability to recognize the need for “growth”, by recognizing patterns in the movements themselves (muscle memory), and in the commands given for those movements (sensory memory), can be used to establish muscle growth patterns to support the new need for better sight.

The human eye, for instance, oscillates and zooms with the help of the extra-ocular muscles and ciliary muscles. These two groups of muscles work together to make adjustments so that still or moving objects can be brought into focus with relative ease. This happens automatically in most cases.

Exercises for your Eye

Recently, I was staring at a picture…well, an ultrasound photo on my friends iphone. There was my son, a little peanut, with not much more detail than a blurry image of nebula and billions of little stars. I must have been staring at this picture for over an hour, when I realized that my eyes had adjusted to the small detail of the photo, and I was now able to pick out finite detail in my son’s body, that even the ultrasound technician couldn’t see. That’s when I looked up and was astounded by what I saw. A friend who was sitting across the table from me (about three feet) was eating a slice of pizza. The interesting thing, however, was that I could see the smallest detail in his face! His pores were wide open to me! I discovered that my eyes had adjusted to focus on the smallest detail in a fuzzy photo, and once I looked up, they were still set on “zoom”. I’ve since developed some exercises that have improved my eye sight in an amazing way. Get the picture?

My next article will include an exercise program for your eyes!

By Jarreau James

Home Exercise Routines

This workout will combine quick bursts of cardio to get your heart rate up in the right target zone (to find out what this zone is for you check this article out on calculating your target heartrate and then incorporate strength moves to get you lean and toned.  The best part is you can do this routine virtually anywhere, even while catching up on your favorite TV shows!

Jog in place for 5 minutes—it’s always best to warm-up into any routine

15 push-ups—drop on the floor and pump these out without a break

15 chair dips—keeping the momentum, place your hands on a stationary chair or chair step and extend your feet in front of you; lower yourself until your arms are bent at the elbow at 90 degrees and parallel to the floor, and then raise yourself back up until your arms are straight

Jump rope for 5 minutes—if you don’t have a rope, just jump in place keeping your heart pumping

Home Exercise Alternatives

30 lunges—hands on hips and feet together, extend your right leg and drop into a deep lunge until your left knee is almost touching the floor and then push yourself back to the starting position and repeat with your left leg in front. Do 15 on each leg for a total of 30 lunges

15 bicep curls—grabbing either 5 or 10 pound weights, or you can get creative and use filled water bottles or even canned goods; as long as you feel the burn my the last few

Stair stepping for 5 minutes—finding either a step or raised surface alternate stepping your feet one at a time up onto the stair and then down; you will stay in the same place, but with one foot on the stair and the other under you as you quickly switch the positions of your feet

15 squats—squat down low and work to keep your weight balanced on your heels

Home Exercises

15 upright rows—grabbing your weights or water bottles stand with your feet shoulder width apart and arms hanging in front of your hips; pull your arms upward in front of your torso until your upper arms are at shoulder height and bent at the elbow.  Lower your arms and repeat.

Scissor step for 5 minutes—place your hands and feet on the floor and bend at the waist so that your bottom is toward the ceiling.  Alternate hopping your right foot forward and then switch positions so that your left leg jumps forward as your right goes back

30 second plank—placing yourself in the push-up position, hold yourself up concentrating on pulling your abs in and keeping your back straight

30 crunches

5 minutes sideways hops—facing forward with your feet together jump first to the right and then the left; keep yourself working and sweating!

15 side arm raises—with a weight in each hand and your arms at your side, keep your arms straight and lift them until they are shoulder height and parallel with the ground.  Lower your arms and repeat.

30 front punches—with the same weights alternate punching one arm in front of you and then the other for a total of 15 punches on each side.

5 minutes running in place—gradually work yourself into a cool-down

You’ve just done a perfect total body workout while getting your pulse moving and lungs working.  The strength moves will help build muscle and the combined cardio will help you torch calories, and the best part is you didn’t have to spend a penny!

By Caitlin Chock

'The Pistol' - One Legged Squat

Before Getting Started

The one legged squat is a lot like a regular two legged squat except that you are standing on only one leg. I’m sure that seems pretty obvious, but my point in stating that fact is to remind you that the same elements that make for good form during a regular squat must still be considered. Maintaining good posture, keeping your knee (on the squatting leg) from tracking forward in front of your toes, and achieving parallel depth are all essential components of any safe, effective squat–regardless of if you’re using one or both legs.

One Legged Squat

If you are going to be working towards single leg squats, there are a few prerequisites that you ought to have out of the way to ensure a solid foundation. You should be able to perform a proper two legged squat with resistance that is equal to your body weight (ladies this goes for you too!), or if you aren’t into going for one rep maxes, you should be comfortable squatting at least 65% of your body weight for multiple reps. Additionally, you should ensure that your form while doing these is safe by having a qualified supervisor watch you and look for any red flags. For example, if your heels come off the ground while you do your squats then you are probably not ready to try a single leg squat yet.   Also keep in mind that while one legged squats are great for building your legs, but they also require a ton of core strength.

Bottom Up and Top Down

Now that we’ve gotten that taken care of, there are a few ways to approach training your body to do a one-legger. One method is to start from the bottom up. While sitting down on a bench, lift one foot off the ground. Lean forward and use the heel of your other foot to push into the floor while squeezing your abs tight, puffing your chest out, and reaching your arms out in front. Once you get to the top, try to lower yourself slowly and repeat. You will likely lose control during the lowering phase and wind up plopping down onto the bench at the bottom. That’s fine for now. In time your control will improve to the point where you no longer need to sit on the bench.

Another One-Legged Squat

Another method to employ while practicing towards doing a one legged squat is to practice from the top down. Stand on a bench, a bit off to the side with one foot hanging off the edge. Squat down so that one leg drops below the level of the bench. Make sure you stick out your hips and butt, and lean forward a bit–otherwise your balance will be off. If you are having a hard time balancing with this, hold onto something to guide you. A resista-band that is securely in place or a cable machine balanced with a full weight stack are great options. A broom handle works well too if you are doing these at home. If you have a training partner, have them assist you by either holding your hand or standing right by you so that you can grab them if you lose your balance. This is an exercise that I will literally hold my client’s hand through the first time they try it!

Other Variations

In time you can progress to doing them on your own. Then you can try coming down off the bench. When you’re standing on the ground, you’ll reach your other leg farther out in the air and hold it as close to parallel with the ground as you can. This is commonly referred to as a pistol squat. A lot of people find holding the other leg out to be the real challenge of performing a solid pistol.

Another variation is to perform them with your secondary leg crossed over the squatting leg. This gives extra stability and is sometimes easier for beginners. However, for those of us with tight hips, this position adds a flexibility challenge that isn’t a concern with the pistol squat. Each variation will be a unique experience on your journey, and a unique challenge to you as an individual. As always, experiment with as many variations as you can. And of course, don’t just sit there reading this–get out there and live it!

The importance of your Back

We cut and split wood for fire, pulled crops from trees, planted and harvested gardens, hunted and killed game, and some people still today wash clothes by scrubbing them on rocks. For women there was the milking of cows, kneading of bread and churning of butter, while men used their larger upper body strength to build roads, streets and towns.

For the most part, everything I mentioned involves the muscles of the back, the upper body’s largest muscle group. For the most part, many Americans do not perform any of the aforementioned daily chores. If you don’t have a job that involves a lot of physical labor, run a farm or own horses, you most likely do not to enough work for your back. We have so ignored these important muscles in recent history that back problems and even spinal deformities are on the rise. The Dowager’s hump at the base of an old lady’s back can now be seen on teenagers.

Put Your Back on Top!

In a few more million years we may evolve into a slug-like creature that requires only minimum movement to survive. Until then, we need to work our bodies the way they’ve been working for the last million years. That means walking—every chance you can. It means doing squats, properly with knees over your feet and back straight. It means lunges and some stair or hill climbing.

We still use our biceps for carrying, and guys like to give those guns some extra work. The triceps, unless you’re into fighting sports, probably needs some work. Dips are great and if you want to really get the job done, push-ups can’t be beat for chest and triceps. Do them off your toes, your knees or put your toes on a bench or chair for a real burn.

Back Exercises

The problem lies in the largest upper body muscle group, the back, which is difficult to work without specific exercise. The best exercise is the pull-up. A pull-up bar, even if you only hang to start is a great beginning. Eventually work up to pulling your body up in a chin.

The other thing you need is a rowing movement. Tennis and swimming are great, so is golfing and basketball. If you don’t participate in those sports, you’re going to need some rowing either in a kayak or with some exercise bands. Lifting properly, keeping the weight close to your legs, back and arms straight and using your leg power to stand up right will save your back from injuries.

Put your back training on the top of your list of body parts. Train it at least three times a week, and don’t forget hyperextensions, Cobra moves and pelvic raises to keep that lower back muscle in tune.

By Laura Dayton

For more weight training exercises, especially for women, refer to Laura Dayton’s total guide to women’s weight training, available at www.lauradayton.com.

There are some great Yoga shows in the mornings. In Australia, men everywhere tuned in at 6am to watch Gloria and the girls on Mats outside the Opera House. In the US, there are a tonne of Live Exercise Programs that radiate over Networks at all hours of the day and night.

TV Yoga

The problem? You can’t rely on TV for fitness.

Yes that’s right! While it’s tempting to sit in front of the television and put on your favorite exercise program, you might be forgetting one very simple thing that make the television an incredibly ineffective device for exercise…It’s addictive. Shocking I know. But in all seriousness, how can anyone be expected to exercise effectively if their only motivation for performing the exercises is doing them in-sync with a program on television.

More TV Yoga

Grow up! TV is not the answer. You don’t need someone to do the exercises in front of you. Learn them once, remember them and get outside to exercise as hard and as fast as you can. one other problem associated with exercise programs on television is that they change so regularly. Times, hosts, programs, they can all be different from day to day. Exercising to TV program offers no stability and no motivation. Two things that are essential to maintaining a healthy exercise regime.

Get off the couch, changing channels won’t help you!

By Tim Howard