Category Archives: Home Fitness

Effective Exercise: The right way to warm up and cool down

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When you’re pressed for time, it’s easy to think that skipping a warm-up, cool-down and stretch might be the most efficient way to work out, right?

Big mistake. As counter-intuitive as it may sound, taking some time to allow your body to ease in and out of things — even if it means shortening the actual workout — will actually help you reach your goals faster.

How? It’s simple, really: Focusing on flexibility can lower your risk for injury, so you’ll be able to keep a more consistent workout schedule, thus obtaining better results in the long run.

I’ve talked before about several other benefits to warming up and cooling down, but here are some specifics to consider before your next sweat session.

Ideal Workout Sequence: 

  1. Warm-up: 5-10 minutes of low-intensity cardio to get blood pumping
  2. Light stretching: Mix gentle and dynamic moves to prime body for performance
  3. Intense Exercise: Attack the workout confidently now that you’re loose and limber!
  4. Deep stretching: Take advantage of warm muscles, which are more pliable
  5. Cool-down: 5-10 more minutes of low-intensity cardio to bring heart rate down

How to Warm Up:

Gradually increase intensity. If you’re going to run, for example, progress from a fast walk to a jog to a run. For biking, start in a low gear and allow legs to spin out before adding elements of speed and resistance. And if you’re lifting, try a series of light weights before progressing to several sets at your goal weight.

Wake up your brain. Get your mind and body in sync for workouts or sports that require hand-eye coordination or fancy footwork. Add some balance and agility drills to activate your reflexes, which will help you respond and react better during peak activity.

Include dynamic movements. After your body is warmed up and you’ve done a few static stretches, move onto dynamic stretching, which takes your body through its full range of motion and should include things like arm and legs swings, torso twists, jumping jacks or fast running.

How to Cool Down:

Gradually decrease intensity. Reverse the progression, whether it’s slowing from a run to a jog to a walk, allowing legs to spin out at a slower speed on low resistance or doing a few sets of easier exercises with lbs in the weight room.

Think loose, long and lean. It’s time to reward muscles for a job well done by allowing them to relax into some deep stretches that speed circulation to joints and tissues, remove unwanted waste products and reduce soreness and stiffness.

Refuel and replenish. Within an hour (really, the sooner the better), drink up and eat up. Use water to rehydrate, and aim for a snack with a carb/protein ratio of 4:1 for maximum benefit when it comes to repairing muscles and restoring energy levels.

Do you bookend your workouts with a warm-up and cool-down for better results? 

30-Minute Total-Body Elliptical Workout

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Confession: I’m not a real fan of the elliptical machine. I think it dates back to my college days when I used to read a magazine during some so-called “workouts” and barely break a sweat.

But after avoiding it like the plague for years, I figured it was about time to reconsider my attitude toward the machine — especially since my sister happens to love hers.

So I started playing with different elements to keep things fresh, and I added in a few strength-training moves mid-session for more of a total-body workout.

The result? A fun, non-impact way to cross-train on those days off from running…or a great way to break up the monotony of typical treadmill time at the gym.

Here’s one of my favorite workouts, which will get your heart pumping and your muscles burning — all in 30 minutes (not including warm-up and cool-down).

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Once you’ve mastered the moves above, kick things up a notch by throwing in some backward pedaling and alternating between pushing and pulling the handles.

Another tip: Work the core, test your balance and challenge stabilizing muscles by going hands-free for a 10-20 count of strides every few minutes.

Happy ellipticaling!

Pick-a-stick workout

Source: Ashley Benson Fitness

Source: Ashley Benson Fitness

We all have those weeks where it’s tough to find either the time or the motivation to work out. Whether you’re slammed at work, between training schedules, overwhelmed at home, trying to get back in the groove or just on the road and out of your usual routine, removing the obstacle of having to choose your workout makes it more likely that you’ll actually get to the working out part.

But all you need for this is a few items — and virtually no equipment — so it’s easy to do in the comfort of your home or hotel room. And if you don’t want to pack the sticks while traveling, you can print out the list below and choose numbers instead of colors to create the day’s combination.

When you just need a quickie sweat session, simply pull one stick of each color and perform the moves. Or if you want a longer challenge, repeat the set of four exercises a few times, depending on how much time you have. And if you really want to mix things up, get crazy and pull several sticks of each color for a more varied total-body workout.

What you need: 

  • 40 Popsicle sticks
  • 5 permanent markers, each a different color (black, red, green, blue, yellow, for example)
  • 2 Mason jars or cups

How to do it: 

  1. Divide the Popsicle sticks into four groups of 10, and color the ends of each group of sticks with a different colored marker (so when you’re done, you’ll have 10 sticks tagged with red, 10 sticks with green, 10 sticks with blue and 10 sticks with yellow)
  2. Assign one color to each of the exercise groups (i.e. red = upper body, green = lower body, blue = core, and yellow = cardio)
  3. Take the black marker and write a corresponding exercise on each stick — refer to the list below for some ideas, but if you have other favorites, feel free to swap them in
  4. Put all the sticks (colored ends up) in one jar labeled “Do it!” And when you’re ready for a workout, just grab one stick of each color.
  5. Once the workout is complete, place the used sticks in the second jar labeled “Done!”
Source: Pinterest

Source: Pinterest

Exercise ideas: 

  • Upper Body
    1. 25 Standard Push-Ups
    2. 25 Diamond Push-Ups (tips of thumbs and index fingers touch)
    3. 20 Push-Ups with Side Arm Balance (alternate sides)
    4. 20 Plank Up-Downs (alternating arms)
    5. 15 Lateral Raises (using dumbbells, water bottles or cans)
    6. 20 Incline/Decline Push-Ups (elevate feet for 10, elevate hands for 10)
    7. 15 Bent-Over Rows (using dumbbells, water bottles or cans)
    8. 15 Hammer Curls (using dumbbells, water bottles or cans)
    9. 25 Tricep Dips
  • Lower Body
    1. 30 Walking Lunges (alternating legs)
    2. 40 Squats
    3. 60-second Wall Sit
    4. 30 Reverse Lunges (alternating legs)
    5. 30 Calf Raises (10 each with toes facing in, straight, out)
    6. 30 Side Lunges (15 each side)
    7. 40 Plie/Sumo Squats
    8. 50 One-Legged Dead Lifts (25 each side)
    9. 50 Donkey Kicks (25 each side)
    10. 30 Curtsy Lunges (15 each side)
  • Core
    1. 60-second High Plank (arms straight under shoulders)
    2. 20 Mountain Climbers
    3. 60-second Superman
    4. 30-second Side Plank (each side)
    5. 50 Crunches
    6. 50 Bicycles (25 each side)
    7. 60-second Low Plank (on elbows)
    8. 45-second Flutter Kick
    9. 15 Sliding Pikes (with towel under feet on uncarpeted floor)
    10. 30 Bird Dogs (on knees, lift opposite arm and opposite leg)
  • Cardio
    1. 25 Burpees
    2. 60 Jumping Jacks
    3. 40 Stair Hop-Ups (jump up with both feet onto one step)
    4. 50 High Knees (jog in place, bringing knees as high as possible)
    5. 50 Butt Kicks (touch heel to glute)
    6. 90-second Stairs (time yourself running up and down a flight)
    7. 15 Tuck Jumps (bringing both legs to chest)
    8. 20 Squat Jumps (squat, then jump as high as you can)
    9. 25 Lunge Jumps (lunge, then jump into the air and switch legs)
    10. 30-second Single Leg Hops (each side; jump back and forth over an object, such as a towel)

Of course, the disclaimer: Always check with your physician to get the go-ahead before you start any new exercise program!

A night with Nike Training Club

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When it comes to Kool-Aid, I’ll drink whatever flavor Nike’s got on tap. So when my gal Sam, ambassador extraordinaire, put out the invite for a week-long extravaganza of Nike Training Club events, I knew we were in for a good time.

Vivi, my workout partner-in-crime, and I headed down to meet up with the ladies at The Box SF on Tuesday night to check out the yoga session. An instructor from Yoga to the People was on hand to lead us through a Vinyasa Flow class, which was a much-needed (read: mellow) workout after Saturday’s adventure in the bay and Sunday’s long run.

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We arrived to  a serene space filled with pink and purple yoga mats. After a checking in and checking our bags, we grabbed a spot up front with some of our fellow November Project peeps (yup, the group that crushes hills together must also work out the quad and hammie kinks together).

And it was a good thing we got there early because the space filled up quickly. Apparently word got ’round about what a blast everyone had at the previous evening’s kickboxing workout; here in SF, we’re like moths to a flame when it comes to serious sweat sessions.

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While we got down to business with our vinyasas, the Nike crew snapped shots and filmed the session with GoPro cameras from various angles. A few of the participants also modeled Nike’s yoga gear, so we got to “ooh,” “ahh” and “om” over all the the new fun prints and brightly-colored products in action.

My hands tend to slip more than my feet, so I’m not sure about the shoes/wraps, but I am a sucker for an awesome printed tight. Maybe, just maybe, they’ll get me motivated to hit the mat more often…

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After the session wrapped up, we mingled for a bit over snacks and spa water before a good chunk of the group was bussed back to Niketown. If definitely got me interested in the weekly NTC classes, and I’m hoping to hit another event or two — tonight is a barre class, Friday’s a run along the Embarcadero, and Saturday is another NTC workout at Niketown — to round out the week.

Wanna join in on the fun? Check out the NTC Facebook page to see if your area’s participating. If not, there’s always the option of living vicariously through the NTC app — I can’t speak to it yet, since I just downloaded it myself to test, but at first glance it looks like a great resource for some hardcore home workouts, courtesy of Nike’s pro athletes and master trainers.

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Have you tried the NTC workouts? If so, what did you think?

Hope you’re having a happy, active week!

Fit Fix: Interview with real-life X-Man, Tony Horton

Source: Beachbody

Source: Beachbody

It’s a generally-accepted rule that most sequels pale in comparison to the originals, but Tony Horton‘s P90X program has bucked the trend of workout one-hit wonders. His philosophy is simple, yet struck a chord with millions: Avoid boredom, plateau and injury – the three things that can cause people to lose their exercise mojo.

After selling more than 4.5 million copies of the original, Horton released a second installment, P90X2, last year to rave reviews. I can personally attest to the program’s results-oriented approach, having knocked nearly a minute off my mile run time after completing the 90-day circuit (read more about it here, here and here). So it’s no surprise that recent release of P90X3 has people buzzing again.

It’s also no secret that I’m a big fan of Beachbody when it comes to getting in shape in the comfort of your living room. So I thought it only fitting to revisit a conversation I had with Horton about the success of the series, his “laws” for health and fitness, as well as how he stays fitter and healthier than men half his age…

Kinetic Fix: What’s your current workout & nutrition regimen? 

Tony Horton: I’m getting away from the linear, traditional training programs of the past. If you’ve done P90X2, you’re familiar with PAP, which is pretty cutting-edge when it comes to athletic and multi-plane training – jumping, turning and twisting like an athlete would on the court. And in terms of nutrition, I’ve changed a bit and have gotten into eating fish and chicken again in order to maintain size and strength as I moved into my 50s. I always try to have at least one massive salad a day, and another big shift has been cutting out sugar, which has been tough because I’m kind of a sugar addict.

KF: We’re coming up on resolution time; how do you get motivated when you’re just not in the mood to work out?

TH: For me, that’s like asking, ‘How to you stay motivated to breathe, eat or sleep?’ Although it’s a task I choose instead of one that helps me survive, I know that if I do it, I’m a better man for it. My health and my immunity improve, and I’m less vulnerable to aches and pains. It’s a universal fact that if you move and eat right, you’re better for it. When you exercise, you slow the aging clock, and when you don’t you speed it up.

KF: Can you share your favorite piece of advice when it comes to staying in shape?

TH: Your goal should be to get fit and stay that way for the rest of your life; it shouldn’t be an up and down pattern where you keep gaining and losing. I have 11 laws of health and fitness, but there are five that rise to the top, which are variety, consistency, intensity, purpose and planning.

Variety means doing what you’re good at – and what you’re not. Consistency means working out five to seven days a week. Intensity means to stop doing it the same way; showing up is 90 percent of it, but the other 10 percent is paying attention and being willing to improve. Purpose means having something so powerful driving you that there’s no question you’re going to miss a workout. And planning and accountability mean figuring out what you’re doing – and when – and fitting that into your schedule. It becomes automatic at that point, like breathing and sleeping.

KF: What do you tell people who may feel too intimated to attempt the P90X DVDs?

TH: When people hear P90X, sometimes they assume that it means 90-minute workouts. There’s an extreme aspect, if you want it, but almost every single move has a modification. This is what gets you through the P90X series. It’s a slow, patient process over time, but you just have to show up and do it. Instead of giving it to you, you have to earn it – but once you earn it, it’s yours and no one can take it away.

KF: Finally, any advice for P90X and P90X2 grads who are hoping to tackle P90X3?

TH: I like to say that it isn’t harder, but it’s different – but it’s harder because it’s different. To graduate from one to the other requires the knowledge that you kind of have to start over because it takes a fit, healthy body and trains it like an athlete. It’s indoor training for the outside world.

Thanks again to Tony for taking the time to chat! Click here for my original interview with him, and visit Beachbody.com for more information or to order P90X3.