Some of us enjoy running. Some of us enjoy running for a long time over long distances.
That’s not US.
But, if that’s YOU … or if you have an interest in running a marathon any time soon, then this article is for you.
Well do some of us recall days gone by, when roommates in the university would wake us to Motley Cruescreaming “Girls, Girls, Girls” at 7:00 A.M. This, all in order to go jogging long distances in the freezing cold.
Did we want to go too? Heck no. But go we did. And then we regretted it because we knew nothing about running long distances. So, very shortly into the run, we hit the proverbial wall … and that was that. No more jogging long distances for us.
Marathon training isn’t something you’re born knowing how to do, you know. (Plus, enduring your roommate mocking you as you lie on the ice-covered sidewalk has a dampening effect on your enthusiasm.)
Anyway, that was a long time ago, and we realized that many of our readers have not been traumatized as we have.
Therefore!
Below, we’ll introduce you to some of the science regarding long distance running. We’ll also let you in on some of the mentality that goes into long runs. You see, it’s not just a physical battle, but also a mental one.
So, psych yourself up, plug in some earphones, press play on your iPhone, and let Cake rip … “She’s going the distance. She’s going for speed …”
1. How to Train For Long Distance Running
2. Running My First Half Marathon
Here, a regular mom shares how she prepared for, and ran, her first half marathon.” The one area I found really challenging was squeezing in the long runs during training. I felt like there was a lot of eye-rolling from other runners when I would say that.”But this mom did it.
This article from pavementrunner.com shows how one long distance runner worked long runs into his busy schedule, and gives some great inspiration for those who want to try the same thing.
We hope that for those of you who are truly interested in long distance running, that you’ve found some valuable and inspiring information here. Remember, as T.S. Elliot famously said:
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”
So go. Run Forest. Run. 😉
We’ll do a nice workout at home, and then sip Pina Coladas … cause we’re jerks like that.
(You can still be nice though, and share this article on Facebook or Pinterest!)
Whether you are a warrior or a shield maiden in your fantasies, one thing is certain. Your body is the stuff of legend. The sort of physique that Odin, Thor, or Freyja could not help but be pleased by.
Right?
Strength is what you respect, and powerful muscles that allow you to be unstoppable in battle are your prize. After all, you must always be prepared to send your enemies (and sometimes even your friends) to Valhalla.
As the famous Viking, Floki in the television series, “Vikings” suggested, “Who needs a reason for betrayal? One must always think the worst Ragnar, even of your own kin. That way, you avoid too much disappointment in life.”
If that’s not you yet, well … most of all, you have to learn the Viking Press.
In this article, we’ll run down info on the Viking Shoulder Press, and share some other shoulder workout techniques that will enhance you (probably) already powerful Viking shoulders.
We’ll start with one for beginners on the off chance that your physique isn’t quite up to the stuff of legends … yet. So, the following article comes to you from bodybuilding.com, and was written by the good man, Alex Stewart.
5 Shoulder Workouts For Mass: A Beginner’s Guide
“The shoulders are the most widely used muscle in the upper body in my opinion. They function in almost every action that comes your way. Also, the shoulders have almost 360 degrees of rotation, not to mention the fact that a broad, thick set of shoulders looks impressive on stage—and even better in the eyes of the ladies.
Shoulders are an important muscle, so why is it that so many people can’t seem to develop a thick, well-balanced set of shoulders? The first step is to make sure you’re eating enough calories to build mass. Take a look at your diet, and add in a whey protein supplement to your regimen if necessary.
In the article below I will discuss the anatomy of the shoulder, its function, it’s location in the body, and some exercises for each area of the shoulder. Finally—and what you have been waiting for—I will include five of my favorite workout programs to help turn your baseball-sized shoulders into massive bowling balls of muscle.
Shoulders-Deltoids
First, the Anterior Head
Function: Flexion, Medial Rotation
Location: Front portion of the shoulder girdle
Exercise: Barbell Shoulder Press
Then, the Middle Head
Function: Abduction
Location: Middle/Side of the shoulder
Exercise: Dumbbell Side Laterals
Finally, the Posterior Head
Function: Extension, Lateral Rotation
Location: Back of the shoulder
Exercise: Bent Over Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise With Head On Bench
Rep Ranges
What you can see from the anatomy information above is the shoulder is really made up of 3 different small muscle groups. Many beginners treat the shoulder as one muscle group, and train it like the chest: presses, presses and more presses.
The only problem with this training approach is presses for the shoulders will heavily recruit the anterior head (front portion) with little work to the middle and posterior head (back portion) of the shoulder girdle. Consequently, this builds a terrible imbalance and also can result in injury.
Without middle and posterior development the shoulders look narrow from both the front and the side. Many times injury is a result of imbalances like this. As a whole the shoulder is a moderate-sized muscle, it is made up of three small muscles. Finally, each muscle should receive an adequate workload and nothing more.
The shoulder girdle can rotate almost 360 degrees, so exercises will be performed in many different angles with the use of free weights, machines and cables. I like to use a low (4-6) rep range with the compound pressing exercises and a moderate (8-12) rep range for all the isolation work.
All exercises should be performed in perfect form because bad form or habits that you start now will follow you and will lead to lack of progress—or worse, injury—in the future.”
To read the full article, check out the link in the resources section below.
Next, let’s take a look at working out like the Viking Maiden you know you are at heart! The next article was written by Melissa Greer for BestHealthMag.ca. As a result, this is for those shield maidens among us.
Why You Should Workout Like a Viking
“The Viking Method is a full-body workout designed with a focus on power, agility and strength. After sweating through a class, we asked founder Svava Sigbertsdottir for her advice on finding your inner Viking.
Tell us about The Viking Method.
It’s all about functional training (think planking, crawling, jumping). I pair specific exercises together in a certain way where it’s forcing your body to use more muscle fibres and burn more energy. Also, we train for fitness performance. [With my clients], I don’t do before and after photos, we do before and after performances, so it’s more about setting goals, not giving up and feeling the benefits of that. I love making people feel a bit invincible and like they can do whatever they want to.
What does a workout involve?
You don’t need a lot of equipment. You just need dumbbells, a mat and your own body weight. I also use towels a lot. You can do loads of moves [with just a towel].”
The next article up is for the men! Therefore, this one’s from Tony Gentilcore over at http://tonygentilcore.com. It’s all about the Viking Press.
Exercises You Should Be Doing: Viking Chest Supported Row
“The Viking Press
Anyone who’s read this site for any length of time knows I’m a huge fan of landmine pressing variations as I feel they’re a more joint friendly less vomit in my mouthish way of performing “overhead” pressing.
The Viking Press is an old-school strongman event that people the size of Mack trucks perform with an insanely absurd amount of weight.
Finally, this is not a practical exercise to perform in a commercial gym setting. It can be done, it’s just cumbersome, usually ends up annoying a bunch of people because it takes up a lot of space and equipment, and the asshats who like performing it are obnoxious and wear way too much Axe Body Spray …”
Check out the video below for an example of the Viking Chest Supported Row.
Let’s say thanks to Christina for giving us that demonstration of a Viking Press, shall we? And you can check out the rest of the article by taking a look at the links in the resource section below.
Finally, and we mean this with all seriousness. It’s time to take a look at some Viking shoulder exercises demonstrated by “The Viking Brothers.”
And, let us just say … badassery hence forth ensues …
Ragnar, Rollo, Floki, the Christian priest …
Heck, even the King of Wessex would be impressed. We were!
Viking Bros Unreasonable Shoulder Workout
Did. You. See. The Viking Press On the Rings? Or the Headstand Pushups against the Wall?
No?
No. Stop.
Because you can’t leave this page until you go watch the video. Seriously.
Ok. Did that? Good.
Now go and put the information you learned in this article to use. And remember, you’re a Viking now. Do the Viking Press! Don’t stop when you’re tired.
You stop when you’re done. (Know anyone else who wants to become a Viking Warrior or Maiden? Yes? Share this article on the Viking Press with them on Facebook or Pinterest. Everyone could use a little more Viking spirit!)
You wanna jump up, jump up and get down and … prevent mistakes crossfitters make.
Oh hey! Glad you’re here.
This article is intended to help those new to crossfit to develop and maintain good crossfit habits. It’s to help prevent mistakes crossfitters make.
If that’s you, well howdy, hallo, privyet, salut, caio, kon’nichiwa, hāi, shalom and salaam!
You’re in the right place.
Well, that’s if you actually know what crossfit even is. Some of you out there may not. Thus, the first part of this article gives a brief overview of what crossfit is. Then afterward we get into the meat and potatoes and the actual subject of this article.
Which, funny as it may sound, is not really meat and potatoes. It’s more like … “a training philosophy that coaches people of all shapes and sizes to improve their physical well-being. It also improves cardiovascular fitness in a hardcore yet accepting and encouraging environment.”
If you’re a crossfit veteran, you can just scroll down to start learning whichoverrated crossfit exercises and mistakes to avoid.
To really nail down what crossfit is, we turn to the guys over at Nerdfitness.com. We’ll let them enlighten you in their excellent, nerdish way. (We love them because THEY would get our Celebrity Deathmatch reference.)
“CrossFit is advertised, in four words, as ‘the sport of fitness.’
With constantly varied, high-intensity functional movements, CrossFit is a training philosophy that coaches people of all shapes and sizes to improve their physical well-being and cardiovascular fitness in a hardcore yet accepting and encouraging environment.
Here’s the definition of CrossFit from the official site:
CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams. It’s also the program used by military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide.
Our program delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness. On average, it punishes the specialist.
CrossFit contends that a person is as fit as they are proficient in each of ten general physical skills. These are cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination, and accuracy.
Or, in nerd speak – CrossFit is a training program that builds strength and conditioning through extremely varied and challenging workouts. Each day the workout will test a different part of your functional strength. Or, it may test conditioning, not specializing in one particular thing, but rather with the goal of building a body that’s capable of practically anything and everything.
CrossFit is extremely different from a commercial gym…and not just because you won’t find any ellipticals, weight machines (gross), or Zumba classes …
… According to the CrossFit site, this program ‘is designed for universal scalability making it the perfect application for any committed individual regardless of experience. We’ve used our same routines for elderly individuals with heart disease and cage fighters one month out from televised bouts. We scale load and intensity; we don’t change programs.‘
What that means is that every day there is a particular workout prescribed (you’ll often see this written as Rx’ed) for everybody that comes to CrossFit. Rather than having one workout for older women and another for hardcore athletes – there’s ONE workout each day that is completely scalable based on your skill.
For example, if the workout calls for squats with 135 pounds but you can only do squats with the bar (45 pounds), then that’s where you’ll start. If you’re injured and can’t do squats at all, a similar movement will be substituted. As well, if the number of reps is too many for your current ability, that will be reduced. As you get stronger and more experienced you’ll work your way towards eventually doing the workouts as prescribed.
Now, although CrossFit can be for everybody, it certainly ISN’T for everybody. In this blogger’s humble opinion, CrossFit is perfect for a few types of people:
Beginners to weight training – If you have NEVER weight trained before (or trained only on machines), CrossFit is a great place for you to start. That’s true provided you have a great coach, which I’ll cover shortly. You’ll learn how to do all of the important lifts in a super supportive and nonjudgmental environment. You might even find that…GASP…you love strength training!
People looking for support and community – This is the appeal to CrossFit for me…every CrossFit gym has a really tight knit community feel to it. You’re not just a membership payment to them. You’re a person that needs help. When Nerd Fitness gyms start popping up (don’t think it won’t happen!) I’ll be drawing a lot of inspiration from CF as to how members are so supportive and inclusive of each other.
Fitness fanatics – You know those people that love to work out every day and feel like something is missing if they don’t? The way CrossFit is structured, you are working out with regular consistency. The general protocol is 3 days on, 1 day off…but many CrossFitters (cough Staci cough) end up at the gym every day, or sometimes even twice a day. It’s addicting.
Masochists – and I mean that in the nicest way possible. CrossFit rewards people for finishing workouts in the least amount of time possible. This means that you’ll often be in situations where you are using 100% of your effort to finish a workout. You’re exhausting yourself, and forcing yourself through incredible amounts of pain.
Former athletes – CrossFit has built-in teamwork, camaraderie, and competition. Almost all workouts have a time component to them. You either have to finish a certain number of repetitions of exercises in a certain amount of time, or the time is fixed and you need to see how many repetitions you can do of an exercise. You get to compete with people in your class. You can also go online to see how you did against the world’s elite CrossFit athletes. There are even nationwide competitions for those that become truly dedicated ….”
There is a LOT more information on the origins of crossfit training in the article above. In fact, the Nerd Fitness peeps mention that their article on “what is crossfit” is pretty much their longest article ever. If you’d like to read it in its entirety (at something like 6,000 words) and have the patience, head over there. You can check out more on that and how to prevent mistakes crossfitters make.
You can do so by clicking the title of the article above, or by clicking on the image immediately below it.
The short version is spelled out in the video below. 😉
What is CrossFit?
Watched that? Great. Time to move on. We’ll now cover five common eating mistakes crossfitters make. Then we’ll go over the ten most common mistakes, period.
The article below comes to you originally via Chris Skafidas and the good folks over at Crossfit Chicago. It’s not for crossfitters alone, but it does apply. It’s all about dietary mistakes crossfitters make. (Their link has gone dead and the article doesn’t seem to be live anymore. BUT! It was when we first wrote this. Anyway, read on.)
Five Common Nutritional & Dietary Mistakes Crossfitters Make
“Given that we’re wrapping up the Paleo Challenge, I thought it would be a good idea to put out a short list of common nutritional mistakes many people make. Whether you are just ending the challenge, are new to Paleo, or don’t follow it at all, keep these things in mind when you’re attempting to make smart choices regarding food. Some of this may be old hat to many of you, but a refresher never hurts.
Relying on labels such as “natural” or “organic” to determine whether a food is actually healthy.
Many people trip up here because they read natural and/or organic and automatically assume the food is healthy. A lot of the time, these are just buzzwords. They’re used effectively to advertise the food and sell product. Think about it – if you read “organic sugar” on a label, is that a whole hell of a lot different than regular sugar with respect to nutritional value?
This is where reading the label and understanding the ingredient list is key. A lot of foods with labels like this may still contain highly processed ingredients and/or additives. Read your labels and make informed decisions. If it looks suspect, walk away. Also, products labeled “natural” or “organic” are inherently more expensive.
The thought that being thin or using weight as a test of health.
This one bugs me. I know plenty of thin people who can’t run, lift any kind of reasonably heavy weight or do a pull-up. I also know plenty of chain smokers who are thin. Does this make them healthy? Definitely not. Although it’s better not to be overweight, just because your physical appearance is pleasing to the eye does not mean everything on the inside is in good working order.
For example, people that appear slim can be diabetic or get cancer. While all of us are inherently vain to some degree, superficial image isn’t everything. This is a significant problem in our culture. Most “fad” diet programs typically focus on low calories or low fat. This is often to the point of the exclusion of quality health or nutrition – “look, you can eat chocolate cake and STILL lose weight!” Give me a break. Please realize that the food you do, or don’t, put into your body determines not just your physical appearance, but your internal and mental health. It also determines quality of sleep and your performance in the gym.
Many people experience their best performance athletically when they’re carrying a few extra pounds than they might like. Still not convinced? Try Paleo for 8 weeks, and go get a full physical and blood test and report back on the results.
The misconception that exercise can correct unhealthy eating habits.
I had a friend say this the other day in regards to just beginning P90X: “Well, I’m doing it so I can eat whatever I want. If I work out for an hour a day I figure I can get away with eating anything.” Kind of made me cringe when I heard this…and she’s in med school! Listen, this is just a way for too many people to justify extremely unhealthy dietary habits. Diet is the main determinant of body composition, not exercise (another thing few people realize).
Obviously, exercise has many important health benefits, such as the improvement of insulin sensitivity. But why work so hard in the gym just to give it all back with that pint of ice cream you wolfed down before bed? Yes, we can burn off sugar through exercise, but not the insulin or the trans-fats. So they next time you hear someone justify their shitty diet with exercise, remind them that exercise is a part of a healthy diet. It’s not a substitute for one.”
As always, there are more points to the article above. If you’re interested in reading more, just click on the article’s title or the image immediately beneath it.
The next article is specific to crossfitters and mistakes crossfitters make. So pay attention! This one comes from one of the top fitness blogs of 2017, tabatatimes.com and was written by Talayna Fortunato, a crossfitter and professional physical therapist.
The Top Ten Mistakes CrossFitters Make
“ 1. Not Warming Up Properly
Every day it takes me around 30 minutes to warm-up. I start with easy cardio for 5-10 min. then do some light foam rolling and stretching, leg swings, lunges, rotator cuff exercises, and finally movements specific to the workout I’m about to do.
My warm-up has gotten more extensive (and longer) with each year I do CrossFit. Almost to the point that it started to annoy me, and then I remembered back to my gymnastics days: Ever since I was on team at age 8, I remember our warm-ups taking us at least 30 minutes with all of the stretching and other calisthenics we did.
Even though we were young and healthy I believe the gymnastics coaches knew what they were doing to keep us that way. With the intensity of competitive CrossFit, it’s imperative to put in the time for an adequate warm-up and mobility work. If you don’t put in the time now you’ll put it in later when you have an injury.
Eating Too Strict of a Paleo Diet
If you are a recreational CrossFitter, following a Paleo lifestyle is probably nutritionally adequate. It’s also a good way of maintaining longevity and health. However, if you are a competitive-level athlete and training intensely more than an hour a day, your main source of energy is carbohydrates. Also, strict Paleo simply does not provide enough sources of them.
Now I’m not saying to go out and carb-load on pasta, bread, or sugar. That’s just an inflammatory insulin bomb. I am saying look for complex sources of carbohydrates from plants and low glycemic grains to add into your diet, especially when training is at its peak.
During an interview at the Games, every individual athlete was asked who follows a Paleo diet, and not a single one raised their hand.
Sacrificing Technique and Movement Efficiency for Intensity and Eventual Technical Breakdown
CrossFit gets results due to the intensity of the workouts, but that doesn’t mean throw all good form out the window. For example, if your back starts rounding when you’re pulling from the ground or you’re chasing wildly after snatches, it’s time to put the bar down until you can regain efficiency. Your back and other body parts will thank you later!
Also if you’re compromising range of motion enough to miss consecutive reps, take a quick rest before you go again. Otherwise you are ingraining poor habits and when you reach that place of pain and fatigue again in competition guess what’ll happen… No Rep!
Doing Volume for Volume’s Sake Without Intent
Have a purpose! More is not better; better is better.
CrossFitters are notorious for thinking that when they are getting ready to compete, more is better. This mindset leads to the performance of multiple hero WODs in a day with the intent of “loading.” However, what it really does is break the athlete down with laborious repetition and impede lasting gains.
More is not better; better is better. Having a purpose, i.e. knowing the energy system and muscular groups you’re trying to tax during a workout allows you to work smart and hard, not just hard. Again, your body will also thank you later!
Cherry Picking Workouts and/or Jumping Around Programs
This is for the CrossFitter who walks into the gym and decides when they get there what workout they’re going to do based on what their gym posts and which one of the blogs they follow appears best that day. Blogs are written for a reason, with progressive intent to allow your workouts to build upon themselves for measurable improvements in your numbers.
If you jump from program to program, weekly or even daily, that progress is completely short-circuited. Not to mention you’re probably doing mostly what you’re good at and not working your weaknesses enough.
Following a Strength Progression that Doesn’t Makes Sense or One Without Any Progression at All
The body adapts to load by responding to meet the load in the form of muscular hypertrophy. There have been many studies showing the best percentages of max load, sets, reps, and frequency to produce optimal gains without under- or overloading the athlete. These studies have produced named strength progression tables, squat cycles, and the like.
If you jump from program to program, weekly or even daily, that progress is completely short-circuited.
You can reinvent the wheel and use yourself as a guinea pig to do your own research, or you can find a viable progression and just follow it. I’ll give you one guess what most long-term successful athletes do.
One other thought to keep in mind is how much loading your conditioning work is providing. An example would be making your conditioning heavy on the weights during the heaviest week of a strength loading cycle (no bueno).”
Finally, the moment you’ve been waiting for … that is if you are someone who loves breathing fire …
Immediately below is a:
Full Body CrossFit Workout
All done?
We hope you enjoyed this article on crossfit, and mistakes crossfitters make. If you did, please share it on Facebook and be a good neighbor. (You could do that on Pinterest too.)
And, now, as Jim Carry opined in the Truman Show …
Ah. You want to whip yourself into shape, grasshopper through plyometric workouts for women? Well, hop on over and lend an ear. 😉
First of all, one of the deep secrets of our art is something we like to call plyometrics. If you know what that is, great. If not, this article is for you. Here, we want to introduce plyometrics for beginners.
That’s you, young tadpole.
Specifically, this article is for those female tadpoles in our collective pond.
Ok. So, why, you ask, are we referring to everyone as if they were hopping insects or amphibians? The reasons are simple. The first is that we’re old enough to remember the 1970’s Kung-Fu, and that’s how we roll.
The second is that Plyometrics workouts for women are all about short jumps.
Thus,we recommend that you check out the following article from WebMD. It’s written by By Kara Mayer Robinson, and is an excellent introduction into what Plyometrics is and is not.
“Remember the fun you had as a kid, hopping, skipping, and jumping around the playground? The exercises you do with plyometrics mimic those dynamic moves.
Plyometrics (“plyo,” for short) used to be called “jump training.” It’s a technique that you can use in many different ways. For instance, you can do plyometrics to help train for basketball, volleyball, tennis, or any other activity that uses explosive movements.
You’ll do a series of jumps and hops, like jump squats or one-leg hops. You might jump up and onto a box or bench, or jump over cones. Some moves will be faster than others.
Every time you land from a jump, your muscles get a stretch. That gives your next jump even more power. The combination of stretching and contracting your muscles whips them into shape.
You won’t do plyometrics every day, because your muscles will need a break from all that jumping. If you’re not active now, you may need to start working on your basic fitness first and later have a pro show you how to do the moves, so you don’t get injured.
It’s a fun alternative to an everyday strength-training workout that boosts your muscle power, strength, balance, and agility. You can either do a workout based around plyometrics, or add some plyo moves to your usual routine without giving it an entire session.
Intensity Level: High
This workout uses maximum power to strengthen your muscles. The moves are quick and explosive, so prepare to use a lot more energy than you do in a typical strength-training session.
Areas It Targets
Core: No. This workout doesn’t specifically target your core.
Arms: No. Most plyometric workouts don’t target your arms. But if you want to work them, you can add upper-body moves like medicine-ball throws and plyometric push-ups.
Legs: Yes. Expect your legs to get in great shape from all the jumping and hopping.
Glutes: Yes. Moves like jump squats fire up your glutes to make them stronger.
Back: No. Though the workout involves your whole body, it’s not focused on your back muscles.”
Finally, there’s more to this article, so be sure to check it out. You can do so by clicking on the title above, or by clicking on the image beneath it.
Next, we want to share great, body-weight only plyometric workouts for women that are about 21 minutes long.
The Ultimate Plyometric Workouts for Women Beginners
Finally, since this is a beginners article featuring plyometric workouts for women, we’re going round everything out by increasing the intensity by a level. Consequently, the next article uses light weights in addition to regular plyometrics for beginners. This one’s from Susi May over at popsugar.com.
“If it’s time kick your fitness life up a notch then this workout will push you to the next level. Mixing plyometric moves with challenging variations of weight-training exercises means you’ll be burning more calories in less time. It’s hard, but it’s worth it …
… Directions: warm up with five minutes of light cardio, then repeat each three-exercise circuit three times. Start with 10 reps of each exercise, building up to 15 reps of each move as you get stronger. Start with five-pound dumbbells, and work up to eight- or 10-pound weights to increase the challenge in these plyometric workouts for women.
High Knee Skips
Skipping isn’t just for little kids: it’s a great warmup exercise, especially if you will be jumping in your workout.
Skip in place by hopping on your right leg while bringing the left knee up toward your chest.
Engage your abs as the knee comes toward your chest.
Switch legs and keep skipping while pumping your arms.
Skip for 30 seconds.
Gate Swings
Continue to warm up as you work your outer and inner thighs with each move.
Begin standing with your feet together.
Hop your feet wide apart, and come into a deep squat, bringing your hands to your thighs. Your toes will be pointed outward.
Push off your knees for leverage as you jump your legs together to complete one rep.
Do 15 reps to complete a set.
Shoulder Press and Side Crunch
Grab a set of dumbbells to tone your shoulders and waist with this exercise.
Also, stand holding dumbbells at your shoulders. With your palms facing forward, press the weights overhead, straightening your arms.
Additionally, as you bend your elbows to lower the weights, lift your left knee up toward your left elbow. Squeeze your abs to exaggerate the side crunch.
Lower your leg while raising the weights overhead, and repeat the side crunch on the right. This completes one rep.
Finally, do 15 reps, alternating sides.
Use five- to 10-pound weights.”
Finally, to get the full workout, click on the title of the popsugar article above, or on the image directly beneath it. 🙂
Now, dear lady plyo-jumpers (ok, we ran into trouble trying to think of another jumping animal metaphor that could represent our readers, here. “Lady Kanga?“, “Women Roos?”
Seems like, we need something other than an insect or frog for those women who are not so much into martial arts, you know) ….
We’ll settle for ladies here.
Ladies, we hope you got some good info on plyometric workouts for women in this article. If you did, please share on Facebook or Pinterest! Then check out some of our other articles by glancing to your right …. Over there. Over there in the side bar. Right there. You got it!
🙂
See you there.
In the meantime, we gotta think of a good, geeky Star Wars themed “plyometric workouts for men” article for all the young padawans out there.
If you’ve arrived at this article, it’s likely that you’re looking for some great intermediate workout routines forsix pack abs.
Well, as you can see, this page is for those who are ready to step up their game. If you’re already familiar with the basics on how to get six pack abs, then this article is for you.
If that’s NOT you, but you’re still looking for a great abs workout routine for beginners, then CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE.
Now, moving on.
We’re bringing you advice from some of the top influencers in the fitness space, such as Tony Horton, Kayla Itsines, the team at DirectlyFitness.com, and Labrada.com.
We don’t like to waste time. So, let’s go ahead and jump into how you can level up and absolutely crush it in your quest for six pack abs.
Watch the following video and do what Tony tells you! Go! Go Now! 😉
Extreme Six Pack Abs Workout—Accelerated Series
Advance to Intermediate Workout Routines for Six Pack Abs with These Tips
Now, if you’re not familiar with Tony Horton and why you should listen to him, listen up! The man is known as an American personal trainer, author, and former actor. He is best known as the creator of the commercial home exercise regimen P90X. You can check out the full Wiki article on him by CLICKING HERE.
Now that you know why you should listen to him, let’s take a look at these tips for intermediate workout routines for six pack abs.
“An abs routine that’s starting to feel stale, or has leveled off your development, means it’s time to look ahead. How to get abs you’ll be proud to show off, when you’re not quite ready to take on an advanced abs workout? In addition to your ab workout DVDs, here are some handy notes to consider for those who are ready to push past their beginner’s core workout.
Abdominal exercises, like cardio and strength training, need to be thought of in stages. One thing about intermediate ab routines: Building abs isn’t all about more, more, more. How to get abs past that beginning stage of development doesn’t just mean adding more reps. The best ab workout DVDs will tell you that this isn’t the best way. And, for pushing your abdominal exercises ahead, just piling on the reps might, in fact, lead to a new injury or some pain you shouldn’t be experiencing.
For pushing ahead your abs routine, try alternating your abs exercises, instead of just hitting more, more, more of the same workouts. One organization that knows how to get abs is the American College of Sports Medicine® (ACSM), which suggests alternating ab work, from say, isometric-style abs exercises with traditional, crunch-style abs workouts: “This will keep the routine from becoming too boring.” (ACSM Fit Society® Page).”
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The next round of advice (and great examples) are from Kayla Itsines. She’s an Australian personal trainer, author, and entrepreneur. Ladies … this one is for you.
20 Minute Intermediate Workout Routine for Six Pack Abs
Note: There’s something before we go on that we feel everyone ought to understand. The following comes from Labrada.com, and we agree with this bit of advice on how to get abs completely.
In Order To Get Abs, You Need To Decrease Your Body Fat Percentage.
“There are no “if’s” or “but’s” about this. Too much body fat and you won’t be able to see you abs. In order for men to start seeing some of their abs they need to be at 10% or below. Women, on the other hands, start to see lines at 13% since women typically store body fat in other areas such as the hips and glutes.
In order to lower body fat, a good and balanced nutrition program consisting of 40% carbs, 40% proteins and 20% fats presents a good starting point. This is in conjunction with some cardiovascular exercise. It’s also in connection with a good periodized weight training routine. It should exercise your whole body and include abdominal work.”
Intermediate Workout Routines for Six Pack Abs: Training Principles
“Here are a few explanations on types of training involved in this program along with how the program will run:
Interval cardio training: This style of cardiovascular activity involves continuous moderate exercise. It’s then followed by intermittent short burst of high intensity cardio exercise. You can use any form of cardio as long as you can operate at a sub maximal effort with burst of high intensity every few minutes.
Examples of interval training methods include: running, biking, elliptical machines, swimming, rowing, or any type of cardio machine.
Here is An Example for this Intermediate Workout Routine for Six Pack Abs that You Will be Applying
Total exercise time: 15-20 minutes
5 minute warm-up, low intensity
• Then cycle the following:
• 1 minute exercise, high intensity
• 2 minutes exercise, low-moderate intensity
• Repeat this until 5 minutes from time completion
• Finish last 5 minutes with low intensity cool down
(25 minutes INCLUDES the 10 min combined warm up/cool down)
Cardio training will be done AFTER the circuit ab sessions when combined.
Circuit Ab Training: This type of training involves continuous activity from one type of exercise to the next. It’s typically done with varying body parts. In this program it will be applied to only the core but split up between abdominals, obliques, and lower back.
You will perform 5-8 exercises in sequence with little rest. You should take no more than 10-15 seconds of rest between exercises and progress to taking no rest breaks eventually.
Each exercise will be done for 25 reps and the cycle will be repeated twice. This will involve many reps. It’s not meant to be near perfected your first time through. Start at 15 or even 10 reps each exercise if needed until your endurance and strength improves.
Weight Training Abs: This will be the heavy lifting portion of the program designed to increase the size of your abdominals which is necessary for increasing tone. Think of it this way, you will be losing weight (fat) AND building muscle so abs will “develop” or appear twice as fast.
Perform 8-12 reps and 3 sets each. For those of you out there who have a “fear” of overdeveloping your abdominals, don’t worry. It takes much dedication, time, and effort to create abdominals as those seen in bodybuilding mags. With patience through this program however, you will notice a big change in your abdominal appearance.
Engage: As a quick side note, you MUST engage your abdominals during these exercises. Don’t simply move through the exercises. Anybody can do that. What will separate you from the rest is contracting and feeling your abs work and burn. It may be uncomfortable but the payoff will be big!”
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