Exercise and Injury – What Should You Do?

Posted in Injuries with tags , , on March 18, 2010 by Rob Bowman

Injuries, strains, niggles, etc are unfortunately an unavoidable part of anyone’s exercise regime? But when you get an injury, how do you assess whether you should stop you exercise completely or try to carry on?

Tis is a really difficult subject, as obviously each injury and situation is different and therefore should be treated on its own merrit. However I will try to give you all the information you need to make a decision.

In my experience of being a personal trainer, far too many people simply stop exercising and ‘rest’ when they think they have an injury. In truth it’s almost as if feeling a twinge in their knee is exactly the excuse they needed to pull out of a training session.

However 9/10 if you fee a twinge, even if you think it’s joint pain, it will be muscle tightness causing the problem. So some really good stretching, and even better a sports massage therapy session should make it feel a lot better.

The problem is, that if you stop working out every time you feel you have a slight injury you will never reach your fitness goals. You have to learn to work around problems that crop up. For example, if you have a sore knee one day, just concentrate on core and upper body exercises for that session. There is no need to miss your workout altogether.

Today’s Takeaway - Please don’t follow this advice in all situations. You yourself should know if you have incurred a serious injury that needs resting, and if in doubt always consult your physio/doctor.

To grab your copy of Rob’s Free Report ‘Cheat’s Guide to Fat Burning From Home – Simple 5 Step Plan,’ plus 2 other great free gifts, click here; ‘www.homeworkoutsuccess.co.uk/free-report.’

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Where To Start with Exercise?

Posted in 5-minute-workout, Home Exercise, motivation with tags , , , , , , on March 11, 2010 by Rob Bowman

Today’s post really goes back to basics and back to the beginning. Why? So many people just can’t find the motivation or simply don’t have the knowledge about how to get started with exercising. So what can you do to get started with exercise?

Some people think they are so unfit they have no chance of changing their weight/health. But nothing could be further from the truth.

You must be realistic if you have not exercised for a long time. You body is not going to be able to perform hours of high intensity training straight away. But there is no reason why you can’t build up to doing that if you so wish.

Basically you need to condition your body to exercise before you can get the best fat burning results from your workouts. But if you have not exercised for a long time the combination of doing some exercise and following a healthy diet will be enough to start you shedding the pounds anyway.

So start slowly and build it up. Maybe you simply do 15/20 press-ups (half or full) every morning for the first week, adding an extra 1 each day. Then add in 15/20 squats a day the next week.

 Or perhaps you do 5 minutes of exercise a day. Below is a free  5 workout you can do to achieve this;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3SfTIjd5MM

Today’s Takeaway - Just do something to get you going and try to increase and improve upon it each day/workout. You will soon condition your body to be able to do more and more, and be able to perform seriously fat burning workouts that will shed the pounds.

To grab your copy of Rob’s Free Report ‘Cheat’s Guide to Fat Burning From Home – Simple 5 Step Plan,’ plus 2 other great free gifts, click here; ‘www.homeworkoutsuccess.co.uk/free-report.’

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How Do You Burn Stomach Fat During Every Exercise?

Posted in abs with tags , , , , , on March 4, 2010 by Rob Bowman

All good fitness professionals, myself included, will tell you that you need to work your entire body during your workouts in order to get an overall body fat burning effect, and indeed to burn fat off your stomach. But what if there was something you could do that would ensure you literally burned stomach fat during every exercise you did!…

This is actually a very simple technique to apply to all your exercises. You may have heard of it before, but in my experience very few people actually get it right.

You need to ‘BRACE’ your stomach during every exercise you do. This will mean you get continual core and stomach activation, and are constantly burning stomach fat even when working you body’s other muscles.

In Pilates they talk a lot about ‘pulling in’ and ‘zipping up.’ I find these terms somewhat misleading, so I will explain my unique way of explaining the ‘brace position.’

Imagine that you were standing up, and someone went to push you in the stomach. What would you do? You would engage you stomach muscles ready for the impact. I am not talking about someone punching you hard, jus a push.

This embrace of your stomach is what the ‘brace’ is. It’s improtant you don’t over-strain and brace too much, but similarly you must hold enough tension get the muscles engaged.

Today’s Takeaway - It won’t come straight away, and you will have to practice and remind yourself to do it. But get this right, and you will seriously increase the amount of stomach fat you burn during your workouts.

To grab your copy of Rob’s Free Report ‘Cheat’s Guide to Fat Burning From Home – Simple 5 Step Plan,’ plus 2 other great free gifts, click here; ‘www.homeworkoutsuccess.co.uk/free-report.’

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The Key To Maintaining Your Motivation – 2 Strategies

Posted in metabolism, motivation with tags , , , , , , on February 25, 2010 by Rob Bowman

Probably the biggest factor in people failing to lose weight and not reaching their fat loss/fitness goals is failing to maintain motivation. So what can you do to ensure you keep exercising and eating healthily once the inital novelty of the new regime wears off?

It’s great when you start exercising. You will probably see some weight loss results fairly quickly as long as you are make the right exercise choices. However, inevitably at some point you will hit a weight loss plateau, or get bored with the exercise and grind to a halt.

 This means you are back to square one quicker than ever! So how can you stop this happening?

1/ Variety - It is essential that you constantly vary the workouts that you are doing. This will keep your body guessing and therefore progressing. This will in turn stop you hitting the dreaded weight loss plateau.

2/ Regularity and Longevity - The key to maintaining fat loss is increasing your metabolism. To do this you must exercise regularly (most days) and over a long period of time. For a lot of people it can take months for their matabolism to increase and repay them for all their hard work. That sucks I know, but it’s just the way it is. But the important point is that it will happen as long as you don’t give up on the exercise regime too soon!

 Today’s Takeaway – Make your workouts varied and give your metabolism the time it needs to increase. Don’t give up before it has the chance!

To grab your copy of Rob’s Free Report ‘Cheat’s Guide to Fat Burning From Home – Simple 5 Step Plan,’ plus 2 other great free gifts, click here; ‘www.homeworkoutsuccess.co.uk/free-report.’

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How Hannah Waterman Lost 2 Stones In 2 Months

Posted in celebrity diets, celebrity workouts with tags , , , , , , , on February 25, 2010 by Rob Bowman

Ex-eastenders actress Hannah Waterman lost a fantastic 2 stones in 2 months recently. Check out the transformation below! Even better than losing the weight, she seems to be keeping it off. Hannah employed a specific form of training to burn the fat,  so what’s her secret?

INTERVAL TRAINING. This is the method used to generate these fantastic results. Interval training can take many different forms, which I will go into, but basically it involves doing short bursts or exercise where you work as hard as you can. This is what stimulates your metabolism and gets you burning fat.

Example 1 – One way Hannah successfully used interval training was with running/jogging. Don’t panic if you hate running, you can use the following example for many other activities. You could jog for 2 minutes, then for 30 seconds increase the speed and work as hard as you can. Repeat this sequence 6-8 times. You could replicate this workout using a bike, cross trainer, rower. etc. The important thing is you work as hard as you can during the 30 second phase.

Example 2 – Do a varied workout, going from one exercise to the next in quick succession working as hard as you can. So you might do press-ups for 20 seconds, squats for 20 seconds, then sit-ups for 20 seconds, etc. You should do up to 5 minutes total workout before taking a rest. The good thing about this form of interval training, is you can design the workout so when one body part is tired you then work a different body part. This allows you to keep going for longer than example 1 would allow.

Today’s Takeaway -  There are many different examples of interval training.  But when used correctly, it can generate excellent fat loss results as Hannah Waterman has shown.

To grab your copy of Rob’s Free Report ‘Cheat’s Guide to Fat Burning From Home – Simple 5 Step Plan,’ plus 2 other great free gifts, click here; ‘www.homeworkoutsuccess.co.uk/free-report.’

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The Secrects Behind ‘Toning Up’

Posted in Home Exercise, nutrition, weights with tags , , , , , , on February 10, 2010 by Rob Bowman

Apart from ‘weight loss,’ ‘toning up’ or getting ‘toned muscles’ is the most common fitness goal. Men and women alike want to know what exercises and what food they should be eating to achieve toned figures and physiques. So what’s the secret?

It’s important to clear up what ‘toning up’ actually is to begin with. The idea that muscle actually ‘tone up’ is a myth. You either build lean muscle or lose lean muscle. Don’t panic ladies, what I am about to advise you to do WILL NOT make you big or bulky. It will give you the ‘toned’ effect. But it’s important to understand what you are actually trying to achieve, and that’s to build lean muscle.

Firstly you must lift weights and/or do bodyweight exercises. This could be anything from doing traditional free weights in a  gym, or simply doing press-ups, squats, etc at home.  Doing these sorts of exercises on a regular basis, as opposed to doing cardio, will allow you body’s muscle tissues to break down and build back up stronger and leaner, giving you the ‘toned effect.’

Secondly, you must eat a high protein diet. So poultry, fish, etc, should make up a proportion of every meal you have. For the same reason as above, it will aid your body to build and sustain lean muscle. This will not only make you look more toned, but allow you to burn more fat also.

Today’s Takeaway - ‘Toning up,’ or more accurately building lean muscle, is a straightforward combination of correct nutrition and correct exercise.

To grab your copy of Rob’s Free Report ‘Cheat’s Guide to Fat Burning From Home – Simple 5 Step Plan,’ plus 2 other great free gifts, click here; ‘www.homeworkoutsuccess.co.uk/free-report.’

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Best Stomach Exercises – The Truth

Posted in abs with tags , , , , , , , , on February 3, 2010 by Rob Bowman

Finding the solution to flat, toned abs and fat-free stomach muscles is the most common goal of all. Most people will spend years working out with the exercises they think will help them achieve these flat stomach results. But the truth is very few people understand the key exercises behind a flat stomach. But you are about to!

Most people think sit-ups and crunches are the answer to flat abs. THEY ARE NOT!

Your stomach has many, many different muscles, all of which need to be worked for maximum fat burning results. Sit-ups work very few of these muscles. So no matter how long you spend doing them, you must do other exercises if you ever want a flat stomach.

So the answer is doing exercises that engage all of the muscles around the stomach in 1 exercise. This way you will be burning far more calories and far more fat than you ever have before.

There are many exercise that do this, but the best place to start is with the front and side planks;

 Front Plank

Position: Raise up on your elbows and toes holding your body up (rest on knees if this is too difficult).

 Technique: Raise hips so your whole body is in a straight line. Hold position still.

 Points To Remember: Make sure your back remains flat, i.e. your hips don’t sag down or raise up too high. Make sure your elbows stay directly beneath your shoulders and don’t slide further forward.

Side Plank

Position: Lay on your side with legs straight and your elbow directly beneath your shoulder. Place one foot over the top of the other.

 Technique: Push hip off the floor, resting on your feet and elbow. Squeeze the hip as high as possible and hold position still.

 Points To Remember: Keep your body straight, i.e. don’t lean forward or backwards. Make sure your elbow remains directly beneath your shoulder and doesn’t slide forward.

Repeat above on other side.

Give these two a go. Do them every day if you can, doing each one 3 times if possible. More stomach flattening exercises coming soon, so don’t forget to pop back!

Today’s Takeaway: You must do exercises that engage all the stomach muscles at once if you want to get flat abs.

To grab your copy of Rob’s Free Report ‘Cheat’s Guide to Fat Burning From Home – Simple 5 Step Plan,’ plus 2 other great free gifts, click here; ‘www.homeworkoutsuccess.co.uk/free-report.’

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Lose Those Love Handles – 2 Home Exercises

Posted in 5-minute-workout, Home Exercise, abs with tags , , , , , , , , , , on January 26, 2010 by Rob Bowman

Do you carry annoying inches of fat on your sides and obliques? Have you ever wondered what the most effective exercises are for burning away those ‘love handles?’ Well today I am going to share with you 2 great home exercises you can do to blast away that stubborn love handle flab!

1/ Side Plank. I know many people think of the side plank as a horrible exercise. Bu that’s because people try to perform difficult variations of the exercise before they are ready/capable of them. Start on your knees if you need to and build up to just using you elbow and feet.

Exercise description - Lay on your side. Raise up your body using your elbow and either your feet or your knees if that’s too difficult. Hold the position still for as long as possible.

2/ Seated Rotations – Rotational movements are really important to burn ‘love handle’ flab. But unfortunately most people dont’ do them.

Exercise Description – Hook you feet under a table/chair and hold something in your hands for some extra weight, e.g. a heavy book. Twist round and down as much as possible from side to side. The more you are able to reach round and lean back the better. 

Today’s Takeaway - Do these exercises 3/4 per week, doing 3 sets of each. Your love handles will be gone in no time!

To grab your copy of Rob’s Free Report ‘Cheat’s Guide to Fat Burning From Home – Simple 5 Step Plan,’ plus 2 other great free gifts, click here; ‘www.homeworkoutsuccess.co.uk/free-report.’

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Top New Year Workout Tip

Posted in 5-minute-workout, Home Exercise, cardio with tags , , , , , , , , on January 14, 2010 by Rob Bowman

Today I am going to share the most important workout tip I can with you. Follow this tip and not only will it enable you to make exercise a consistent part of your life, but will allow you to exercise in a fraction of the time you thought neccessary!

You have to get out of the minset of counting calories and the idea that ‘the longer you exercise for the better.’

Working out on the treadmill,  cross trainer or whatever and counting your calories really is the worst thing you can do.

Why? Because it means you workout slowly without any intensity whatsoever. You just plod along, and although you may be burning calories at the time, you will get absolutely no post workout benefit.

The same idea goes for working out for long periods of time. You just don’t work hard enough. You are much better off doing a 5/10 minute intensive workout than a 30 minute ‘normal’ workout.

Why? Same idea, intensive workouts stimulate your mtabolism and fat burning hormones.

Today’s Takeaway – Workout hard and fast, not long and slow!

To grab your copy of Rob’s Free Report ‘Cheat’s Guide to Fat Burning From Home – Simple 5 Step Plan,’ plus 2 other great free gifts, click here; ‘www.homeworkoutsuccess.co.uk/free-report.’

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Get Fit For The New Year!

Posted in 5-minute-workout, Home Exercise, Workouts, circuit training with tags , , , , , , , , , on January 6, 2010 by Rob Bowman

Are you looking to get fit for the New Year? if you are still thinking about it I must urge you to make the decision today. Read below to find out (a) how to get fit, and (b) why you MUST do it now!

The New Year is without doubt the most common time for people to start exercising, getting fit and losing weight.

If you don’t make the decision now, when are you going to do it? My experience shows me that if someone i not exercising in January, they are very unlikely to exercise during the rest of the year. So DON’T PUT IT OFF ANY LONGER!

Here’s the good news – you don’t have to leave the house to get fit and lose weight! In fact I am giving you a workout video absolutely free to kick-start you weight loss journey. Just click the link below to access it;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az6MQulLwo8

This video is a ‘5 minute abs home workout’ designed to burn maximum fat it minimum time. It is taken from my popular selling ‘Home Workout Success DVD Set,’ but I am giving it to you absolutely free! Here’s the link below, and enjoy;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az6MQulLwo8

Today’s Takeaway – It is totally critical that the New Year is the time for you to get fit. If you make excuses to postpone it now, then you probably always will.

To grab your copy of Rob’s Free Report ‘Cheat’s Guide to Fat Burning From Home – Simple 5 Step Plan,’ plus 2 other great free gifts, click here; ‘www.homeworkoutsuccess.co.uk/free-report.’

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