Bodyweight Exercise Series: Hanging Leg Raise

The bodyweight hanging leg raise is an advanced abdominal exercise.

There is a reason you see more people doing ab crunches instead of hanging leg raises! The hanging leg raise and its variations is very tough to execute. In fact, it is the gold standard for abdominal exercises! Gymnasts have been doing hanging leg raises for decades. A person needs core strength, arm strength and grip strength to perform the exercise correctly. If you can't do one hanging leg raise, you need to strengthen your core, back, arms and grip.



1. Hang from a bar using an overhand grip with arms straight and shoulder-width apart. Let your legs hang straight down.

2. Contract your abs and make sure that your back remains neutral with natural arch. Keep your head still and looking straight ahead. Raise your legs to the midpoint of your body using your abdominal muscles. Don't swing your legs up and use momentum to do the exercise. This is a controlled strength exercise.

3. Hold for 1 to 2 seconds and slowly lower your legs. That is one repetition.

Beginning exercisers can start by trying to bend the knees up to the chest. Intermediate exercisers are able to do a straight leg raise up to the midpoint of the body. Advanced exercisers can usually raise straight legs up to the head or "windshield wiper" bent knees to the left and right.

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Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Bodyweight Exercise Series: Pullups

You must include bodyweight pullups in your exercise routine! The pullup is one of the best exercises you should be doing! If you haven't done a pullup since grade school, you need to bring the pullup out of your workout closet! If you can't do any, start doing 1 pullup and progress (assisted pullup machine or a spotter are also options).

Image credit: philipmak

The pullup is not just a back muscle exercise. Pullups work your lats (and other back muscles), core, shoulders, arms, chest, biceps and improve grip strength. That's why you should be doing pullups!

1. Hang from a pullup bar with your palms facing away from your body, your arms straight and your feet crossed together with legs bent about 90 degrees. Pull yourself up until your chin passes the bar.

2. A wider grip (greater than shoulder width) will work your lats more. A closer grip (shoulder width or less) will work your middle back muscles more.

3. If you lack grip strength, you can use straps to help.

Use proper technique when doing a pullup:

1. Don't jut your chin out (it strains your cervical spine).

2. Don't swing. It makes the pullup easier by using momentum. You need to pullup, not swing up.

3. Don't let your chest collapse because that puts too much stress on your shoulders.

4. Don't arch your lower back too much. You want your abdominal muscles to be engaged when you do the pullup. Keep your torso braced (as if taking a punch to the gut) during the pullup.

5. When you start the pullup, drive your shoulder blades down and squeeze them together. This will engage your shoulder stabilizers more.

Don't be afraid of the pullup exercise! Pull it out of the closet and start doing them!

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Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Bodyweight Exercise Series: Burpees!!

The bodyweight burpee exercise sounds kind of gross but it burns body fat like crazy and its good for you! Burpees! Ughhh! Seriously, always do burpees under control with good technique.



You know I don't like fitness gadgets, gimmicks, weight loss pills/powders/patches or any quick weight loss scheme.....

If you need to change up your high intensity interval cardio routine, here is a great choice----do full speed burpees for 20 minutes.....trust me, it is a great full-body exercise that will increase your strength endurance, power and anaerobic conditioning (remember, aerobics is an exercise done for more than 2 straight minutes).

Exercises like sprints and jumps are anaerobic. Research has proven that anaerobic conditioning will give you superior fat loss and heart health.

You can use the burpee exercise as an interval cardio routine to ramp up your fat-burning and conditioning:

--1 minute full speed burpees
--2 minutes walk or jog
--Do this routine for 20 minutes and you're done!

From a squat position with your hands on the floor, kick your feet back to a pushup position. Quickly return your feet to the squat position and jump as high as you can from the squat position. Repeat this exercise at full speed for 1 minute! Whew! Walk or jog for 2 minutes and burpee again!

Go for it!

Train hard and safe!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Bodyweight Exercise Series: Bridge For Your Back

Use the bodyweight bridge exercise to strengthen and stabilize your lower back muscles. Many people develop low back problems because too little time is spent strengthening the muscles of the lower back.





1. Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and your hands by your sides.

2. Lift your body off the ground into a straight line and brace your torso (like taking a punch to the gut). Don't let your body sag. Hold for 3-5 seconds and repeat for 12-15 repetitions. Do 2-3 sets.

Other great core exercises that will strengthen your lower back muscles are cobras, stability ball plank, supermans and back extensions.

Don't neglect to strengthen your lower back muscles! You will pay with pain and injuries if you ignore training your lower back!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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More Exercise is Better

Dr. Paul Williams of the University of California at Berkeley thinks that the American Heart Association's recommendation of "half an hour a day of exercise" is way too little. He has followed more than 100,000 runners for 20 years and has shown that exercising much more than that will dramatically reduce the high incidence of heart attacks, strokes, certain cancers, glaucoma, diabetes, cataracts, macular degeneration, gout, gall stones, diverticulitis, and many other ailments (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, March 2009). Dr. Williams found that running 40 miles per week can lower risk of stroke by 69 percent, heart attacks by 37 percent and diabetes by 68 percent. To prevent progressive weight gain with aging, the runners needed to add 1.4 miles a week each year.

How inactivity kills: Human muscles get their energy by extracting sugar and fat from their blood supply. When muscles are at rest, they need insulin for sugar to pass into their cells. However, when muscles contract, sugar passes into their cells without requiring insulin.

Extra fat blocks insulin receptors so insulin can't do its job of driving sugar into cells and blood sugar rises to high levels. This causes sugar to stick to the surface of cell membranes. Once stuck to cell membranes, sugar can never get off and is eventually converted to sorbitol which destroys the cell to cause all the terrible side effects of diabetes.

The extra sugar outside cells is converted to fat, which blocks insulin receptors even more and prevents insulin from doing its job, leading to more weight gain and eventually to diabetes. Thirty-five percent of North Americans will become diabetic because they exercise too little and eat too much. More on why inactivity shortens life Why more exercise is better: Contracting muscles remove sugar rapidly from the bloodstream, without needing insulin, during and for up to one hour after exercise. The effect tapers off to zero at about 17 hours (American Journal of Clinical Nurtrition, July 2008). You are protected maximally from high rises in blood sugar and fat during and immediately after exercise. Therefore, the more time you spend contracting muscles, the longer you will be protected from the cell damage that leads to cancers, heart attacks, strokes, and other consequences that shorten your life or impair its quality.

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Bodyweight Exercise Series: Back Extensions

Do bodyweight back extensions to protect your spine and build back muscles. Do you have lower back problems? The low back pain might have been avoided by doing the back extension exercise.



Strengthening your back muscles are very important for obvious reasons. Seventy to 80% of Americans have back pain (many times low back pain) at some point. The way to protect against this is to strengthen your body's core. To specifically protect your spine, you should do back extensions (with weights for the advanced).

Back extensions target the erector spinae muscle group surrounding the spine. Your hamstrings also contract strongly during the back extension exercise and assist the erector spinae.

It is important to perform this exercise correctly or you will end up with the very thing you are trying to avoid----BACK PAIN OR INJURY. The technique error I see most in those doing back extensions is hyperextension of the back. Hyperextension happens when you continue lifting your upper body past the point of a straight line (your back, hips and lower legs should line up).

The picture shows correct technique. Hyperextension will compress your vertebral discs. This important exercise should be included with your other back exercises such as rows, inverted rows, bridges and lat pulldowns.

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Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Visualization Leads To Weight Loss

Visualization can help you lose weight, burn fat and get the lean and toned body you want. Visualize exactly what body you want, obtain the tools and information you need to succeed and work hard (never quitting) to acheive healthy weight loss and fat loss.

Visualize yourself with the body and health you always wanted. BE SPECIFIC. And then (actualization) actually take steps to make it happen (you might need some professional guidance). And, it will happen. Don't be afraid to set high, realistic weight loss goals. Research has proven that low goals or no goals usually leads to very little, lasting weight loss and fat loss success.

Here is an example of visualization becoming reality from last night's NFC Championship football game won by the New Orleans Saints.

The kicker who made the winning field goal, Garrett Hartley, visualized (the previous night) making a 42 yard field goal from the right hash mark. He called his dad the night before to tell him about his "vision" of making the winning field goal.

The winning field goal was 40 yards from the right hash mark!

Athletes use visualization all the time to imagine themselves making a particular play. Didn't we visualize all the time in our backyards growing up....remember hitting the game-winning homerun in the bottom of the ninth inning?

Start today visualizing or re-visualizing your weight loss and fat loss success. Start making it happen.

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Bodyweight Exercise Series: One-Legged Squat

The bodyweight one-legged squat is a high-level exercise that will improve your lower body strength and dynamic balance. You might have to work up to doing this exercise by using a bench or chair for support.



The one-legged squat is one of the best exercises out there (and tougher to do than you think). It builds strength (including core strength) and stabilizes the legs and hips. It is important to perform the exercise correctly. One-legged squats will also help improve your speed because it works the same muscles involved in running (quads, hamstrings, glutes, abductors/adductors). One-legged exercises forces each leg to develop at the same rate (one leg can't compensate for weakness in the other leg).

There are many variations of the squat exercise. There is no doubt that the squat should be a part of your regular exercise program. But, you don't have to "max out" on the squat exercise for it to be effective.

Do the one-legged squat this way:

1) Stand with your feet hip width apart with knees slightly bent and toes pointing forward.

2) Start position: Lift one foot off ground and extend leg forward. Extend arms forward at hip level.

3) Lower your body by bending at the hips and knees. Be sure to “sit back” so that your knees stay over the feet. Keep your head and back straight in a neutral position (hyperextension or flexion may cause injury). Keep your weight over the middle of the foot and heel, not the toes. Keep your abdominals tight throughout the exercise by bracing your torso.

4) Once your thigh is slightly above parallel to the floor, return to the start position. That is one repetition.

Challenge yourself with the one-legged squat exercise!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Bodyweight Exercise Series: Sprinting Burns Fat!

Sprinting burns fat like crazy folks! Sprinting is one of the best ways to get your total body lean and toned. It is probabaly one of the least used exercises done by general exercisers. And, you don't have to be fast, just run as fast as you can! To avoid injuries, always sprint on surfaces like grass or sand and never run on hard surfaces like concrete or asphalt.



Athletes are forced to run sprints because of their particular sport. As a former college football player, I can remember running as many as 50 consecutive 40-yard sprints on the Monday after a Saturday game! Running sprints was the total practice for that day. Either way, sprints will lean and tone your body like never before (combined with full body strength training).

You see, sprinting activates your bulkier, shapely fast twitch muscle fibers. These fast twitch muscle fibers lie dormant when you do slow-paced cardio sessions (hint). Sprinting will really burn the fat on your butt, hips, thighs, hamstrings and lower legs. Fat will also be burned on your upper body.

It is important to properly warmup before doing sprinting intervals. A proper warmup is a dynamic warmup such as doing 5-10 minutes of jogging, walking lunges, half-speed sprints and three-quarters speed sprints. Do static stretches after your workout to bring your muscles back to normal length.

To sprint efficiently and avoid injuries, you need to master correct running mechanics. Most people that I see at gyms need to work on running mechanics. Running the right way really does make running easier (and vice-versa)!

A 20-minute sprint interval workout is very simple---and tough! Do it this way:

--Run a 50 to 60 yard sprint
--Walk back to start line
--Run a 50 to 60 yard sprint

Do this rotation for 20-minutes and you are done (exhausted)! Do this type of workout no more than 2 times a week. This will allow your body to recover from this intense form of exercise.

A sprint interval workout will also give you superior heart-health.

Ready, set, go!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Bodyweight Exercise Series: Good Lunges, Bad Lunges

Use bodyweight lunges as part of your dynamic warm-up or as a strength exercise. Bodyweight lunges are great for adding muscular balance and dynamic balance to your lower body because you work one leg at a time (stronger leg can't compensate for weaker leg).



You also need adequate core strength to keep your body upright during the lunge. Walking lunges improve your speed because you use the same pathways it takes to run fast.

The picture above is an example of a good walking lunge and a bad walking lunge. The person doing the bad walking lunge doesn't have adequate core strength to keep his body upright.

When you do the walking lunge, don't let your front knee go past your foot and don't let your back knee touch the ground on the descent. Also, don't let the front thigh go past parallel to the ground.

To work your hamstrings more, lunge out further with the front leg. A shorter lunge will work the quadriceps more. Most people need more hamstring strength to prevent injuries.

Include this walking lunges, forward lunges, reverse lunges, clock lunges and side lunges in your workouts!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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"Pants On The Ground" Because Of Weight Loss

Yes, I want your pants to fall to the ground because you have achieved weight loss, fat loss and lost inches!



Of course, the "pants on the ground" phrase is a take on the newest rage on American Idol...I don't really watch American Idol (really!) but that video has been on television about every other commercial on FOX TV. And the "pants on the ground" video was a big hit on YouTube the day it was released (over 1 million views already).

So, how do you get your "pants on the ground with weight loss?" Here you go:

1. Get a healthy meal plan and start following it...most of your fat loss and weight loss success will be due to you eating right. One good way to start breaking bad habits is to make progress with small changes. An example would be to severely limit sugars from your diet. This one change will help you burn belly fat!

2. Get your body movin' again! All movement burns calories. If you have been inactive, start walking every day for 30 minutes and work your way up to exercising regularly (weight training, cardio) for at least 30 minutes a day.

3. Don't let setbacks keep you from continuing with your exercise program. Remember, it is your healthy lifestyle that you want to continue, not a weight loss program.

4. Get help from a professional fitness trainer if needed. A workout partner also would help you stay on track.

5. Take steps today! Procrastination is the biggest hindrance to starting something new and challenging (especially if you have failed in the past).

Start working on "getting your pants on the ground!"

Get FREE Training and Nutrition Insider Secrets for a Lean-Body with Six Pack Abs! This ebook, created by Certified Nutrition Specialist & Certified Personal Trainer, Mike Geary, details over 27 specific metabolism-boosting secrets that you can use to strip off your stubborn body fat faster and easier and get your six-pack abs! Contains unique workout methods and nutritional strategies to slash body fat and take your body to a whole new level of leanness. Get Your FREE Book Now!

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Bodyweight Exercise Series: Step Ups

The bodyweight step up is one of the best leg toning and strengthening exercises available to you. It will help you burn more fat in your legs.

Step ups will also improve your dynamic balance. Its not that easy to balance all your weight on one leg (with good form) while stepping up onto a platform.



1. Face a bench or platform (knee high) and put your right foot on the bench. Your knee should be bent 90 degrees. Don't do this exercise with dumbbells until you have mastered the bodyweight version.

2. As you lift your body on your right leg, keep your body erect (don't bend over) and look straight ahead. Balance on your leg for 1-2 seconds and descend. Don't let your left foot touch the platform.

3. Do all required repetitions on the right leg and switch to left leg.

You may have to start with a platform lower than knee-high. Your hamstrings and butt will be worked more with a higher platform.

Exercises like the step up are important because it uses the same pathways that it takes to walk or run. Plus, one leg cannot compensate for weakness in the other leg. If your left leg is weaker, it will be forced to "catch up" to the right leg. Muscular balance is important to avoid injuries.

Step up to your next workout!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Bodyweight Exercise Series: Mountain Climbers

Do bodyweight mountain climbers if you're serious about taking your workout to another level. The mountain climber is a versatile exercise in that you can do it on level ground, on an incline, knee-across-your-body, as a warmup, as cardio or as a speed exercise. I like to include mountain climbers as part of a bodyweight cardio session.



You will burn more abdominal fat and overall body fat by doing mountain climbers.

Either way, include mountain climbers in your workouts more often. It is one of the best and toughest exercises out there. It is a compound exercise in that it works the calves, quadriceps, glutes, back, chest, triceps, abdominals and shoulders. You will need high levels of core strength to do this exercise the right way for each set.

Do mountain climbers this way:

From a push-up position, keep your back flat (do not let your back bow) and pump your legs as fast as possible (if doing as a speed exercise) like you are running in place. Don't scrape the ground with your shoes as they run forward. And, don't let your glutes "sag to the ground" when you are fatigued.

If you feel low back pain when doing mountain climbers, stop immediately. It is impossible to do this exercise the right way if you have a bad back.

Include mountain climbers more in your workouts---you'll be glad you did!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Bodyweight Exercise Series: Pushups, Pushups, Pushups!

Close-grip pushups, pushups on stability ball, power pushups, regular pushups, incline pushups, decline pushups, uneven pushups....take your pick! Pushups are one of the all-time best bodyweight exercises.



The pushup on medicine ball is a tough exercise that not everyone can do! Case in point: I was at the health club one day and a former marine was working out. I started to talk to her about the pushup on medicine ball and she tried the move (of course!). She was shocked to find out that she couldn't do one pushup on the medicine ball!

I'm guessing that she has progressed to the point that she can probably do a few of them now! In true marine-like fashion, she vowed to "conquer" the pushup on medicine ball!

How to do the movement: Put both hands on the ball at arms length. Keep your body straight and torso braced (as if taking a punch in the gut) throughout the movement. Keep your head in line with your torso at all times. Lower your body down to the ball and back to starting position. Repeat as required.

This type of pushup requires adequate core strength to do it properly. The pushup on medicine ball will build your upper body stabilizer muscles (chest, arms, shoulders, core, etc.) needed to increase your bench press or other upper body strength exercises.

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Bodyweight Exercise Series: Prisoner Squats

Add bodyweight prisoner squats to your exercise routine. You can do prisoner squats anywhere, anytime (as a warmup exercise also).

As a matter of fact, go ahead and do regular bodyweight squats, one-legged bodyweight squats and Y bodyweight squats. They all work to burn fat and sculpt your body.

Besides the obvious strength benefits for your glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps, prisoner squats also help to realign your shoulder blades.



1.Stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder width apart with your toes pointing slightly outward.

2. With your hands behind your head, keep your chest up and shoulder blades down and back throughout the range of motion.

3. As you descend, push your glutes back as if sitting down, bending at the hips and knees. Keep your knees aligned with your toes (don't let the knees "cave in" or protrude outside the feet). Also, don’t let your knees pass over your toes and stay back on your heels.

4. Don’t lean forward, maintain the natural arch in your back and keep your core braced (as if getting ready to take a punch).

5. As you ascend, contract your glutes.

Bodyweight prisoner squats are a good variation from the traditional bodyweight squats.

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Almost All Obese Men Will Eventually Become Diabeic

This month, two studies show that being overweight shortens life. A study from the University of Uppsala in Sweden followed 1800 Swedish overweight men, from age 50 for 30 years and showed that almost all are at high risk for heart attacks and premature death (Circulation, December 2009). The authors showed that overweight men who originally did not have metabolic syndrome eventually suffered from metabolic syndrome, diabetes and heart attacks.

Metabolic syndrome is considered to be early diabetes and includes high blood sugar and triglycerides, high blood pressure, low good HDL cholesterol, and abdominal obesity (40 inches for men, 35 for women). In this study, being overweight without metabolic syndrome increased heart attack rate by more than 95 percent, and being verweight with metabolic syndrome increased the rate by more than 155 percent.

In another study, researchers at the University of Bristol in the UK and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden analyzed more than a million Swedish mother-son and father-son pairs over age 50. They showed that the sons who were overweight tended to have parents who had died prematurely and had an extremely high incidence of heart attacks, diabetes, and some cancers (British Medical Journal, January, 2010).

Fat cells are like endocrine glands. As they fill with fat, they release hormones that turn on your immunity to cause inflammation. An overactive immunity damages artery walls to cause heart attacks and strokes. High blood fat levels block insulin receptors so your cells cannot respond to insulin and your blood sugar levels rise too high. This causes sugar to stick to cell membranes to damage arteries to cause heart attacks and strokes. Since your insulin receptors are blocked, your pancreas releases increasing amounts of insulin which constricts arteries to cause heart attacks.

Storing fat primarily in your belly rather than in your hips means that you already have high insulin levels, which shortens lives and increases heart attack risk. Insulin specifically causes fat to be stored in your belly.

If you can pinch more than an inch of fat in your belly, you are overweight and at increased risk for metabolic syndrome, diabetes, heart attacks, and premature death. You should first be cleared by your doctor for exercise and try to exercise every day. Avoid all foods that cause a high rise in blood sugar, particularly sugared drinks, foods made from flour, and sugar-added foods. Eat large amounts of vegetables. Avoid red meat, lose weight, and make sure that your vitamin D3 level is above 75 nmol/L.

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Bodyweight Exercise Series: Inverted Rows

Include bodyweight inverted rows in your workout routine to work your back muscles in a different way. Doing different exercises for a specific muscle group can give you faster results or help you break through a plateau. I will see many people doing barbell rows and dumbbell rows but very few people doing inverted rows. And, inverted rows strengthen much more than just your back muscles...





Inverted rows build strength in your upper back, shoulders and arms. Your core muscles are also engaged during the movement. Inverted rows also improve your stabilizing strength in the low back, glutes and hamstrings. And, when you superset the inverted row with the pushup, you will get better muscular balance between the frontside and backside of your upper body. Muscular balance is critical for athletes to perform at peak levels.

1. Hang from the bar of a Smith Machine (back to the floor but not touching) and pull your chest up to the bar.

2. Keep your body in a straight line throughout the movement and brace your abs. Also, keep your head in line with your torso. Don't drop the head or jut it forward.

Add inverted rows to your exercise routine!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Mediterranean Diet Most Healthful

A comprehensive review of the world's literature, covering research in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from 1966 to 2008, shows that eating a Mediterranean diet prolongs life and prevents heart attacks, cancer, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease (British Medical Journal, September 2008).

The combined studies included more than 1.5 million people followed for up to eighteen years. The reviewers analyzed total diet, rather than individual components of diet, because "the analyses of single nutrients ignore important interactions between components of a diet and because people do not eat isolated nutrients."

The Mediterranean diet contains abundant amounts of fruits, vegetables (including olives), whole grains, beans, seeds, nuts, fish, and up to two glasses of red wine a day. It does not include red meat and has only small amounts of dairy products (cheese).

In studies analyzing single components in the diet, eating red meat is associated with premature death, heart attacks, strokes, at least 23 different cancers, and arthritis. Not eating lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, seeds and nuts is associated with the same diseases. The more different vegetables you eat, the longer you live. Fish eaters live longer than people who do not eat fish.

It is sad that the Western Diet has reached Greece, where three-quarters of the adult population is overweight and the incidence of diabetes, heart disease and arthritis approaches that found in North America. The Mediterranean populations are sacrificing their health to the convenience and taste of "fast food" instead of following their traditional diet.
List of the most recent (2009) studies supporting the Mediterranean diet

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Bodyweight Exercise Series: Planks And More Planks

Planks are a bodyweight exercise that should be in your routine. Many times, people will begin to work on superficial core muscles (such as your six pack or rectus abdominis) before strengthening and stabilizing deep core muscles.



There are many variations of the plank exercise such as prone plank, side plank, plank with leg raise, plank with leg abduction and plank with knee tuck. Start with the plank exercise you are ready for. If you are a beginner, the prone plank is the place for you to start. And, an exercise like plank with leg abduction works your hips as well.

The stability ball plank is a great core exercise to advance you from the prone plank exercise on the floor.

The ball plank strengthens and stabilizes your deep, foundational core muscles even more than the regular plank. Balancing on the ball while holding the plank position is not easy! Your deep, foundational core muscles are more important than your "six pack abs!"

1. Place your elbows on the ball and balance on your toes while keeping your body in a straight line.

2. Hold the plank position for a count of 5-10 seconds without moving. The ball will move, so it is a challenge to hold the right alignment. This will obviously improve your balance. Your abs and shoulders will also work much harder.

Keep your head in line with your torso and brace your torso (as if taking a punch to the gut).

Enjoy your planks today!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Bodyweight Exercise Series: Jump Rope Now!

Jump rope now with your bodyweight to burn more fat, improve your heart health and better lean and tone your body!

Jumping rope will also help improve your balance, coordination and overall core strength.



I was talking to a friend the other day about jumping rope to burn fat. She said, "I can't jump rope, I'm too uncoordinated!" What? Who didn't jump rope as a kid for fun and games? Everybody can jump rope!

Buy a jump rope and practice for 5-10 minutes every day and soon you'll be jumping for 20-30 minutes. I can make you a promise if you will jump rope for about 20 minutes a day, 4-5 days a week: your body will burn fat and get leaner like never before!

Just do intervals for 20 minutes when you jump rope such as jumping for 1 minute and walking for 1 minute. As you improve, you can begin to jump faster and faster and burn more and more fat!

Just be sure to look straight ahead, keep your body erect, your core braced (as if taking a punch to your gut) and use your hands/wrists to propel the rope. Keep your arms and body as still as possible as you jump. Land on the balls of your feet and not your toes.

Oh yeah, have fun jumping rope!

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Bodyweight Exercise Series: Squat Jumps

Use the bodyweight squat jump exercise to better sculpt your body and burn more fat and calories during your workout. Squat jumps remain one of the best exercises to burn fat and help you lean and tone your body because of the high intensity.

If you're having trouble toning your butt, hips and thighs then you need to do more squat jump exercises in your workouts.

If you are into sports, squat jumps will also help to increase your speed and power for sports like track and field, soccer, lacrosse, tennis and basketball.



To do the squat jump, descend into your squat, swing your arms back and forward and jump up explosively (reaching upward with your arms) and repeat for the required repetitions.

It is important to learn proper jumping and landing techniques before doing squat jumps. Read this post about jumping and landing techniques. If you have knee and low back problems, high-speed squat jumps are not for you.

Learn how to lose weight the right way and get My Fitness Hut's 7-Day Weight Loss And Fat Loss e-Course! The e-Course is FREE!

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women! Her Fitness Hut has also been named in the Top 50 Personal Training Blogs by Physical Therapy Assistant Schools!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

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Sculpt Your Body For Life Or Sports

Sculpt your body for how you want to live, whether its to live an active, healthy life and/or to play your favorite sport! Just as you set other high personal goals for financial and relationship success, set your health and fitness goals high and realistic (challenging and attainable).



Do you want to be able to walk, jog, cut your lawn, trim the hedges, run a marathon or play on your league soccer team? Then, you must be healthy and fit. You must burn body fat and lose weight! Either way, you will benefit from My Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Training System.

Don't risk your health and fitness on a quick weight loss program! Don't sell yourself short and settle for just another fad diet designed to give you short term weight loss. Fad diets don't work because you can't maintain them---you need a healthy meal plan that you can maintain over time.

My Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Training System is designed to give you the best lean and toned body that you can attain and maintain. It is the best and quickest way to give you that lean, toned body. And, according to research, you will also have superior heart health because of the circuit weight training and interval cardio sessions.

What about your 6-pack abs? You will have those too (and a strong overall core)! My athletic abs training system will give you ripped abs (and core) that are functional in everyday life or in sporting activities. Exercises like medicine ball chops and throws use natural motions and build your core to meet the demands of life or sports.

But you will have so much more than that:

At My Fitness Hut, I have designed all of my exercise programs based on a Fat Blaster Athletic Training System. Here are the reasons:

1) There is not a better or faster way to sculpt your body. You also get superior heart health. Research and my personal experience backs this up. Just look at an athlete's body. And, we are all athletes to some extent. There are varying degrees of athletic training---some techniques are more intense than others. I tailor the program to your fitness level and/or limitations. I have programs for men, women and teens!

2) I am a former NCAA Division I athlete, so I'm not playing a guessing game when it comes to this type of training. I use research, empirical evidence and real-life experience to develop training programs.

3) My Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Training System doesn't require marathon training sessions. We all have a tight schedule. No circuit weight training session last longer than 1 hour and some sessions are as short as 30 minutes. Interval cardio sessions are about 20 minutes.

Sign up for My Fitness Hut's Fat Blaster Athletic Training System. You will get the health and lean body that you need and want (including those 6-pack abs) to live a vigorous life and/or play sports!

"SCULPT YOUR BODY FOR LIFE OR SPORTS!"

"Exercise is not my life.....exercise makes my life better!"

Check out my other great blogs:

Her Fitness Hut Blog Her Fitness Hut is featured on EmpowHER, a great health issues website for women!

Sports Fitness Hut Blog has been recognized by Stanford University Wellsphere as the #1 Sports Fitness Blog and NursingDegree.net as one of the Best 100 Health and Nutrition Blogs for Athletes! The blog has also been named as one of the "50 Best Sports Medicine Blogs by Masters In Healthcare! It is an honor to be recognized by those in the health and academic fields! Afterall, health is number one for everybody---including athletes!

Read more »