Heavy Bag Training For Prodigious Fat Loss

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In the age of sophisticated training equipment and devices to achieve maximal results in minimal time, one piece of equipment that has become almost legendary in shaping the body is the heavy bag. This is a 40-100 pound stuffed bag made of leather or vinyl, which provides a physically demanding workout and is a true test of strength and stamina. In fact, six or seven minutes on this piece of equipment feels like running a marathon.

And it’s not just men that benefit; women also can learn to develop beautiful, lean muscle or just have a demanding, full body workout that probably rivals sprinting for fat-loss results. That’s because training on the heavy bag at the right intensity, will greatly tax the cardio respiratory system. And although women are not necessarily looking to enhance their punching power, they can hit much lighter and focus on using as many muscles as possible.

The main muscles worked on the heavy bag include the shoulders, arms, back, chest and waist. Straight punches, such as the right cross and jab, will help to develop power through the shoulders and chest, while uppercuts and hooks will utilize the back and arms to a greater extent.

Legs can also be used in the process of ripping into the bag, to generate lower body strength, balance, coordination, and a super efficient reduction of waist size.  This can be achieved through side and front kicks, as well as knees. But don’t stop there. Rotational body exercises with the bag as an end stop tool, or using a medicine ball for added weight, can create powerful contractions and development of the abs and lower back. The idea is to keep everything tight, while remaining relaxed and moving fluidly.

Now, if anyone doubts that the heavy bag can improve body shape, they are welcome to try even a moderate effort for ten or fifteen minutes. Put on some heavy, thick gloves and get going. If the sweat doesn’t soak your t-shirt or pool at the bottom of your feet, you simply are not moving. You should witness an impressive improvement in terms of muscle hardness, while stripping away body fat at a prodigious rate.

So for anyone wanting to improve on their mind numbingly boring treadmill routine while preserving muscle gains, I would suggest a heavy bag workout along with your weight training.

The Man Who Wants To Kill Crunches

Editors Comment: A client of mine handed me this article from Macleans magazine, titled, “The Man Who Wants To Kill Crunches.” A lot of trainers today think this way, eschewing sit-ups and crunches completely, simply because they can lead to lower back and neck muscle strain. Their focus is on planks and various rotational moves (e.g. Russian kettle-bell twists, windshield wipers, etc). So have a read of the article below to see why crunches may be more detrimental than beneficial and let me know what you think!

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The Man Who Wants To Kill Crunches

A Canadian professor of spine biomechanics rails about the dangers of the ubiquitous sit-up

Macleans, January 19, 2010

After three decades of figuring how out the spine works, Stuart McGill has come to loathe sit-ups. It doesn’t matter whether they are the full sit-ups beloved by military trainers or the crunch versions so ubiquitous in gyms. “What happens when you perform a sit-up?” he asks. “The spine is flexed into the position at which it damages sooner.”

The professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo knows a thing or two about snapping spines. In his lab, McGill proudly shows off a machine that’s probably created more disc herniations than any other in the world. “We get real [pig] spines from the butcher and we compress them, shear them and bend them to simulate activities such as golf swings and sit-ups, and watch as unique patterns of injury emerge.” A disc has a ring around it, and the middle, the nucleus, is filled with a mucus-like liquid. Do a sit-up and the spine’s compression will squeeze the nucleus. On his computer, McGill shows how the nucleus can work its way out of the disc, hit a nerve root and cause that oh-so-familiar back pain. “From observing the way your total gym routine is performed, we can predict the type of disc damage you’re eventually going to have.”

While there are lots of ways to injure a back, the sit-up is an easily preventable one. According to his research, a crunch or traditional sit-up generates at least 3,350 newtons (the equivalent of 340 kg) of compressive force on the spine. The U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health states that anything above 3,300 newtons is unsafe.

So McGill suggests replacing sit-ups with exercises to strengthen the core while not bending the spine: bridges, planks, leg extensions, bird dogs, and “stir the pot.” The bird dog, for instance, simply involves getting on all fours and, while keeping the core muscles tight, extending the opposite arm and leg, then switching limbs. “Stir the pot” is a more complex movement: moving shoulders in a small circle while in a prone push-up position with forearms balanced on an exercise ball.

The results of McGill’s decades of spine research is slowly being accepted outside the worlds of academia and elite athletics. Ian Crosby of the Calgary Fire Department saw the shift first-hand. He’s on a committee of the International Association of Fire Fighters that establishes criteria for the make-or-break fitness test. A few years ago, they reviewed the annual sit-up test, which involved doing steady crunches in time to a metronome. The problem, for Crosby, is that anyone being assessed “will train to get better. And that involves repeated bouts of sit-ups.” So last year, after talking to Stuart McGill and other experts, the IAFF dropped the sit-up in favour of the prone plank—basically a static push-up that will leave the unfit trembling with fatigue.

For those who believe sit-ups are the only key to strong abdominals, Crosby points to research that shows the new movements can be just as effective in improving core strength. A study of U.S. soldiers published earlier this year in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise compared sit-ups with back-friendly core stabilization exercises, including bird dogs, and found there was no difference in overall fitness between the two groups. In fact, those who did core exercises showed significant improvement in the army’s sit-up test.

The decline of the crunch can also be seen at ordinary sweat-filled gyms. Anthony Ierulli, manager of fitness programming for the YMCA in Brampton, Ont., says that while in the past all anyone “did were crunches, now they’re doing some Pilates and yoga that engage the abdomen in different ways.” But Ierulli emphasizes that changing routines isn’t enough if the technique isn’t there. And that requires finding a teacher who can fine-tune those unfamiliar exercises.

As for McGill, he keeps spreading his message. Recently, Asia Nelson, a local Waterloo-based trainer of yoga instructors, invited the expert to talk to her class of student teachers about his philosophy. She knows that not all traditional yoga postures are back-friendly. One example Nelson gives is the sun salutation’s forward fold—basically a standing crunch with the added hanging weight of the body. Now, after the professor’s lecture, she’s figuring out ways to modify that and other movements. While Nelson and the Y’s Ierulli recommend people find a balance between old and new techniques, McGill’s message is more blunt: “There are only so many bends in your spine until the discs eventually herniate.”

Healthy Lifestyle Changes Are Smart Long Term Investments

Healthy Lifestyle Changes Make For Smart investments

So how’s that New Year’s resolution? Is your fitness goal still glowing brightly in your mind, or has it fizzled like our limp January winds this year? Sometimes that first diet or exercise goal is a lot like falling in love. There is excitement and the inspiration and motivation levels are high. You can’t wait to  buy some new weight equipment, a stationary bike or workout clothes. You luxuriate on low fat and low calorie meals, and pound the pavement until your tongue goes dry.

But the healthy “love-in” doesn’t last. The passion fades, and is replaced with a serious a loss of ambition and eventual lethargy. Why? Because unreasonable expectation in too short a period of time predominate your thinking. You look to undo ten, twenty or even thirty years of abuse with a quick fix rather than a long term plan. Big mistake. Short sighted programs based on magazine articles will cause you to end up weeping into a 1/2 gallon tub of ice cream.

The solution is a realistic lifestyle change. Whether it’s for ten or 100 pounds, it requires permanent removal of old habits — nothing temporary. People make mistakes when they go for something drastic, like losing 25 pounds in one month. Setting a goal like that is just asking for failure.

Lifestyle changes are not easy at first, so you have to ease into them and not expect anything real quick. So for a person 100 pounds overweight, he/she must reach for ten pounds goals at a time, until the desired weight loss is reached. Incremental goal spacing allows for lots of success along the way and makes the insurmountable seem attainable.

The two biggest lifestyle changes for long term success relate to what we eat and how much we move. Yes you’ve heard that before, but to achieve a state of permanency in weight loss, you can’t live on cabbage soup, slim fast shakes and texturized tofu for the next 20 years. You need a plan, with  wholesome food such as fruits and vegetables, meats, dairy, healthy grains and fats in the right amounts. You also have to cut out sugar, fast food, and refined foods, while increasing fibre and eating smaller meals at regular intervals.

Don’t jump too fast into your eating regimen though. Make small changes first and be specific. You could start by revamping your breakfast or simply making sure you eat breakfast. For lunch and supper, eat at least one more green vegetable and cut starchy side orders in half. Now have some healthier snacks in between meals and start logging your food. We often don’t pay attention to what we eat so we are “shocked” when we gain weight, even on an exercise program. Logging your food will bring conscious awareness of your new habits, helping you change patterns and propel you to your goals. Carry a note pad in your car or at work so you can log your meals in a timely manner. Waiting until the end of the day can make the task feel overwhelming and you’re likely to forget something.

You also need to exercise more because the benefits are staggering. But don’t go from nothing to 6 days a week for 2 hours at a time. This goal has failure written all over it. Initially commit to two or three times a week for about a month. Once you feel comfortable, then add another day or so as you slowly work up to 4 or 5 times weekly.

Making a schedule really helps. Put your workouts on the calendar or in your palm pilot or blackberry just like any other meeting or event. Everyone has the same 24 hours a day to use, so set aside some time for your health and set the example for others.

Oh, one more thing about specifics. Take before pictures, weigh yourself about once a week and measure your waist at belly button height, so you can see what’s working or where to make changes as necessary. When it comes to your health or your weight, don’t do anything you can’t reasonably expect to do for the next 20 years. Think of yourself as a long term investment. Within reason, small and consistent incremental changes can add up handsomely over the years. Never give up on the one project that’s most important – you. Now that’s a smart investment.

The Staggering Health Benefits Of Vitamin D

Get Your Vitamin D From The Sun!

Just received a NaturalNews Insider Alert (www.NaturalNews.com) which I found fascinating in light of my own studies on the subject. The author, Mike Adams, speaks of one of the most potent, yet overlooked, healing nutrients in the world – one we’ve been told causes cancer. But in truth, strong clinical evidence proves this “nutrient” actually prevents and helps REVERSE an astounding number of serious diseases, including:

* Prostate cancer
* Breast cancer
* Osteoporosis
* Depression
* Gum disease
* Schizophrenia
* Diabetes

It’s all contained in a FREE special report called, “The Healing Power of Sunshine and Vitamin D, available for downloading at: http://www.naturalnews.com/SpecialReports/Sunlight.pdf (Adobe Acrobat format).

The report speaks of the dangers of not getting enough sunlight, deficiencies of which promote chronic disease. So seeking out sunlight in safe, reasonable doses does wonders for your health and may, in fact, render all sorts of conventional medical therapies irrelevant.

It features an interview with Dr. Michael Holick, one of the world’s leading experts on vitamin D and sunlight. You’ll learn things like:

* How vitamin D deficiencies have been directly linked to several types of cancer.

* In a study of African-American, Latino, and Caucasian women who had just given birth, 76% were deficient in vitamin D and 81% of the infants were deficient.

* A study in Finland showed that infants who were deficient in vitamin D had an 80% increased risk of developing Type-2 diabetes as an adult.

* 32% of students and doctors in Boston are deficient in vitamin D by the end of winter.

* 40% to 60% of elderly people are at risk for vitamin D deficiency.

The report also explains little-known facts about sunshine and vitamin D. You’ll learn:

* How proper nutrition helps you avoid sunburn without using chemical sunscreens.

* What the right amount of sunlight is for your body.

* How vitamin D deficiencies cause prostate cancer, breast cancer, osteoporosis and other diseases.

* The true cause of asthma and why antihistamines only conceal the symptoms of the disease rather than treating its cause.

* How to calculate how much sunlight you need based on your ancestry and current geographical location.

* Seasonal Affective Disorder: how to treat it with sunlight exposure.

* Why you can’t get enough vitamin D from diet alone.

* Why U.K. dermatologists support more sun exposure, but the U.S. dermatology association refuses to change its stance.

* How a lack of vitamin D may contribute to schizophrenia.

* Why it is harder to absorb adequate amounts of calcium without sufficient vitamin D.

Take advantage of this information right now. It’s “must-have” knowledge that no person should go without. Get it at:
http://www.naturalnews.com/SpecialReports/Sunlight.pdf