Tag: FITNESS
How To Lower Body Fat As A Natural Athlete For Optimal Performance
How Simon Bitner can get from 10% body fat to 6% body fat as a natural athlete and compete on the bodybuilding stage.
Simon Bitner has been weightlifting for many years and he built an aesthetic natural physique holding around 10% body fat. As a natural athlete, he knows that if he starts dieting hard or training with more volume or adding more cardio then he will start losing muscle in addition to fat.
As we get leaner it becomes harder to lose the remaining fat because the body will preserve certain fat perceived necessary for survival even though in this modern day and age we don’t need excess body fat for survival. And as we get leaner the body begins to see excess muscle as a liability and will begin to lose muscle.
This is the art and science of bodybuilding. How do we trick the body into burning that remaining fat while retaining the muscle. Sure its easier to do with anabolics, HGH, peptides, Insulin and other advanced chemistry. But even the most chemically enhanced bodybuilders benefit greatly from exploiting and healthy manipulation of the same fat loss and muscle preservation pathways that natural athletes must solely rely on.
So even though Simon is a natural athlete, the same protocol is effective for the Enhanced Athlete.
Fasted Cardio
4 capsules of Code Red Fat Burner before 20-50 minutes of fasted cardio.
During cardio drink All Day Shred (tastes good and refreshing if you add ice and don’t dilute it too much)
If hunger cravings before fasted cardio become distracting or uncomfortable, then you can drink the All Day Shred at that time. It will not break a fast. It enhances fasting by releasing fat and facilitating the transportation and usage of fat for energy.
Click here for All Day Shred
Breakfast
By the time we finished cardio we will have been fasting for some time. Sort of intermittent fasting and the benefits of fat burning, insulin sensitization, and detox are evident. But the longer we fast, the more that many pathways that we collectively call “metabolism” slows down making it harder to burn fat. In bodybuilding we must maintain a superhuman metabolism in order to make fast changes to the body. By breaking the fast, we ramp the metabolism back up. Simon will be eating carbs on this cut. This will allow him to maintain some muscle volume, preserve muscle, give fuel for harder weightlifting sessions, and speed up the metabolism.
Take 3 SLIN pills with breakfast. This will shorten the time that blood sugar and insulin levels are elevated allowing the body to enter fat burning mode much faster after breakfast. The more hours during the day we are in fat burning mode makes a huge difference in how fast we can get shredded.
Breakfast should be high in slow digesting protein because it satisfies hunger and rebuilds and protects muscle. We aren’t worried about the protein causing insulin release and negating fat loss because the SLIN pills will keep insulin low despite the additional protein. The low insulin levels also don’t handicap the muscle cell ability to uptake amino acids (protein) because the SLIN pills sensitize the muscle cells to be more responsive to less insulin.
Click here for SLIN
Mid Day
If Simon feels low on physical or mental energy or has hunger cravings then his body is struggling to release and use the fat for fuel. We don’t want the body using carbs for fuel because that means its doing that instead of burning fat. We want the carbs to remain stored in the muscles and liver as much as possible while fat is being released and utilized.
Thus, Simon needs to avoid snacking on carbs as a source of energy. This is the biggest mistake that the general population makes. We need to break the addiction to carbs. 2-4 capsules of Code Red Fat Burner will reduce the cravings for carbs, release fat from storage including from the stubborn areas such as the abs, and assist the body in utilizing the fat for fuel instead of the carbs. I think of the Code Red Fat Burner Pills as a meal because it replaces eating food to get calories.
Simon can also drink All Day Shred as much as he wants. It will also reduce hunger cravings and cause the body to burn more calories from fat than muscle while also maintaining a high metabolism despite a caloric deficit.
Click here for Code Red
Weightlifting
A natural athlete benefits most from heavy lifting in shorter intense sessions. 3 sets of each exercise, 3 exercises per muscle, the final set of each exercise should be far beyond failure. We aim to fail about 30 seconds into the set then use intensity techniques to make the set last 2 minutes so there is nothing left in the muscle afterwards. But we keep the amount of sets lower for the natural athlete. The Chemically Enhanced Athlete can do much more volume of exercise. For Simon we are focused on fat loss. We are not trying to burn calories during the weightlifting session.
We are instead sending a message to the muscle that we must maintain the muscle or build the muscle for survival. It doesn’t require long duration to send that signal to push past a certain threshold of muscular failure. There are many exercise approaches for cutting but this one has been very successful for our rapid transformations. Leave the calorie burning to the cardio, the 24 hour increased metabolism from the supplements, quality sleep, the controlled carbohydrate intake, and the weightlifting afterburn and increased calorie demand from rebuilding the muscle after stimulation.
Largest Meal Post Workout
If Simon can eat his largest meal soon after the workout that is great but if he feels better waiting to eat more later, then he can. The important thing is he takes the other 3 SLIN pills with his largest carbohydrate meal. This prevents the carbs from converting to fat, allows the muscles to uptake more carbohydrates, and puts the body back into fat burning mode quickly after the carbs are stored.
Before Bed
The ideal meal before bed for Simon on this Shredding Diet is to eat slow digesting protein with healthy fats. Ideally we would not eat carbs before bed. However, for many of us its hard to sleep without eating carbs. I need to eat carbs before bed and in the middle of the night or its hard to sleep. Sleep Juice can help a lot to get to sleep faster and deeper causing more HGH release, more restful sleep, better recovery, and more fat loss. But sometimes only carbs will do the trick.
In this case we can take 2 SLIN pills for the same effect and reasons above with our night time carbs and we can drink All Day Shred for the reasons above especially since it doesn’t contain any stimulants. It is one of the few fat burners that can be taken at night and not interfere with sleep.
We should not take Code Red Fat Burner or any other stimulants within 6 hours before sleep.
Generation Iron may receive commissions on purchases made through our links. See our disclosure page for more information.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
5 Essential Questions About Your Training
5 Essential Questions About Your Training
When was the last time you thought “why am I doing this exercise?” “Why is my program structured this way?” Maybe you borrowed from a bodybuilding magazine 20 years ago and never returned it. Maybe you never questioned why it’s always been done it this way. Or maybe you carefully consider every choice in your training, nutrition, and recovery. Maybe you’re on autopilot somewhere in between.
When building a training program and selecting exercises, training intensity, and load, we consciously or unconsciously make important choices. In making wise choices, we further our progress. When we carelessly play to the whims of our ego or inconsistent motivation, we can stray from an optimal path. Whether our goal is building muscle, developing strength, or fat loss, each of these 5 questions should be considered.
1. What’s The Risk vs Reward Ratio?
What’s the risk of choosing an exercise relative to its reward? What’s the worst thing that could happen if you try this weight? This isn’t about avoiding any and all risk. The couch is a safe place from all immediate risk. Never leaving the couch only ensures the gradual decline of your health and quality of life. You didn’t get hurt, but you one day wake up weak, depressed, fragile, and wishing you made changes years ago.
What’s the total sum of all the good things that will happen from your training choices compared against the worst possible catastrophe? If you’re in the habit of regularly accepting catastrophic downside, reconsider your decision making matrix. If you never accept even the slightest risk no matter the vast potential rewards, you have an equally serious problem.
You best manage risk by:
Mastering exercise technique, especially before heavy lifting
Considering injury history when choosing exercises (The best predictor of future injury is past injury)
Using appropriate range of motion (depends on the exercise)
Consistently approaching failure
Strategically but sparingly training to and beyond failure
Checking your ego at the door
Optimize nutrition and sleep to maximize recovery
Promising 23 year old bodybuilder Ryan Crowley tore his pec tendon off the bone during a workout with Larry Wheels. After heavy sets to near failure in an effort to keep up with the absurdly strong Wheels, Ryan chose to max out an incline bench press at 220 kgs. His pec tendon ripped during a slow negative.
Crowley is a bodybuilder on a mission to grow as large as possible. What was the potential reward of doing a one rep max having already fatigued himself and dealing with a lingering shoulder injury? The upside: a cool video for social media and a new one rep max on an exercise few care to max out on. The downside: go watch the video if you dare.
2. What’s The Time Cost To Benefit Ratio?
Few lifters have the time each week to train every possible exercise. None have the capacity to recover from that volume of training. People have careers, families, and varied demands on their time. We need to make tradeoffs within our training time and recovery limits.
To build muscle we should maximize muscle recruitment by prioritizing large compound lifts like pressing, rows, squats, and lunges. Then layer in stable high mechanical tension work like leg press and machine rows to recruit and fatigue more muscle fibers. Then isolate priority areas for deeper fiber fatigue with single joint isolations like curls, tricep extensions, and shoulder laterals.
High level bodybuilders and strength athletes know they can’t simultaneously make huge progress on all fronts. They understand the need to temporarily dial back workload in other areas to enhance training time and recovery capacity for weaker priorities.
For most general population, just find something you enjoy that keeps you in the gym and strengthening a lifelong habit. Serious bodybuilders and strength athletes are already locked in and highly adherent, so we aim to optimize exercise selection.
Take for example one of the least useful yet commonly abused machines in any gym, the seated calf raise. Calves are hard enough to grow without using limited training time on suboptimal exercises. Your calves have 2 major muscles, the gastrocnemius(gastroc) which originates above the knee and the underlying soleus attaching below the knee. When your knee is bent 90 degrees on the seated machine, your gastroc is relaxed leaving the soleus to do almost all the work.
Standing and straight knee calf work uses both muscles together, optimizing benefit relative to time spent, especially for the gastroc which contributes more to the visible size of your calves. Your gastroc also has a higher proportion of fast twitch muscle fibers than your soleus, having greater potential to grow. This adds up to choosing exercises which maximize the training of your gastroc. Only if calves are a massive priority and you’ve allocated significant training and recovery time to hit them with several exercises, multiple times a week, would you then include seated calf raises.
3. What’s The Reason For This Exercise?
Everyone has time limitations. Everyone has limited capacity to recover from training, despite individual variance. Every exercise must serve a purpose.
Your coach must be able to justify why each exercise appears in your program. We often hire coaches because when left to our own devices we fall back on what’s convenient, easier, and what we like. When choosing exercises, ask yourself “Am I doing this because it’s the best choice for my goals or am I avoiding something important that I don’t like.”
Did you default to leg press again because you’re managing system fatigue and sparing lower back stress or are you avoiding Bulgarian squats despite your need for more single leg work? It’s easier to smash leg press sets than to grab heavy dumbbells and tough your way through Bulgarians.
Are your exercise choices best serving the muscles you want to growth or the performance and strength you need to enhance? Are you always leaving calves and rear delts to last yet swear they’re weak points that won’t grow? Restructure your program to prioritize work for areas you’re prone to neglecting. Start your workouts by training weak points in need of attention.
If your routine has been on autopilot for too long, analyze if your current program and choices are serving your goals. If not, adjust or rebuild your program.
4. What’s The Training Effect Relative to Fatigue?
Is your chosen exercise, training strategy, or overall volume optimizing training effect relative to the fatigue it creates. The article https://generationiron.com/truth-about-training-to-failure/ explains the nuanced management of failure training against fatigue. Failure disproportionately creates fatigue vs training effect, so it’s best used surgically. Lifting heavy and doing volume of tough sets also accumulates fatigue. We want to ensure we’re doing the best exercises and volume to build muscle and strength.
Imagine the powerlifter who’s goal and priority is to build bigger quads. He has a powerful posterior chain and can squat heavier on low bar than high bar. So he again chooses 3 heavy low bar working sets of 5 reps with one rep left in reserve. The load and intensity means he’s resting 3+ minutes between sets to be able to come back strong for the next set. His goal is muscle building but he’s still using pure strength training principles because it’s what he knows and is strongest with.
Not only is he missing out on a better quad growth exercise, his 5 reps don’t create as much mechanical tension or metabolic stress in his quads. The long rest breaks take extra time out of his workout. The heavy sets add fatigue. He has less time and training intensity left for subsequent exercises. He doesn’t get a pump in his quads and again feels frustrated in his poor quad development progress. Had he instead chosen high bar squats for 3 working sets of 10 reps, at a weight appropriate for 2 reps in reserve, he could have smoked his quads with great pumps and tension, taken shorter rest breaks, then gone on to leg press and leg extensions.
Are you striking a balance between the intensity and volume needed to craft an inspiring physique? Feeling your system crushed after each workout with minimal progress? Try more Lee Haney and less Dorian Yates. Feeling like you could still go a few rounds with Jake Paul? Channel more Dorian in your workouts.
5. What Role Is Your Ego Playing?
Setting your ego loose in the gym isn’t necessarily bad thing. Letting it control you is. Instead channel your ego to dominate your training within the structure of your plan.
How often have you seen a guy or been that guy (dudes this one is on us as women rarely fall prey to this behavior) who sees someone in the next rack with a little more weight on the bar. Never mind how the next guy is doing half our range of motion with crap form. We toss today’s plan, throw on more weight and max out.
What did that accomplish? We showed off a little and impressed the group of kids doing curls for the 4th day in a row. Except no one else cared or noticed. We soothed our ego, beat up our joints, and lost the day’s training effect. Sounds like a great deal…..
If what other people are doing in the gym takes you off plan, you need to leave your ego at the door. Walk in with a plan and execute it. This avoids unplanned and unnecessary maxing out and added injury risk.
Remember that most of what you see on social media isn’t reflective of good training principles or the consistent behavior that built legendary physiques. Calum Von Moger didn’t built a physique so godlike he played a young Arnold in a movie by doing 400 pound 1 rep tandem bicep curls with Chris Bumstead.
All this social media driven stunt did accomplish was tearing Calum’s bicep, which threatened his young career(he was fortunately ok several weeks later, good enough to fall off a cliff and sustain more serious injuries a year later). Was it ego or the need for novel media content driving these stunts? It certainly wasn’t a normal day of progressive training at the gym.
Are your entrenched training practices and philosophies serving you? Optimizing for best results, or floating on autopilot? Accepting absurd levels of risk while allowing your ego to call the shots? Are you using your time and recovery capacity wisely? Leaving progress on the table because your system is crushed from relentless hardcore intensity, leaving you hurt often? Run a diagnostic on your approach to training to find room for growth, or just to reaffirm you’ve on the right track.
How Frog Pumps Can Enhance Your Glute Workout
Work to give those glutes a mean workout.
Think about your workout routine for a minute and see if you can think of all the muscle groups you work. We know you hit your legs, back, and chest. Of course you attack those biceps and triceps for those bulging arms and that core for those six-pack abs. But do you target your glutes? Sure, if you perform a squat, or most leg exercise for that matter, you are hitting your glutes, but think if you are really giving them the attention they deserve. Even the most massive of us need to work our glutes for what they do for our overall physical health and performance and that cannot be overlooked. Frog pumps are a great exercise that allow you to focus on your glutes to really perfect a strong and toned behind.
Strong glutes matter and too often do we tend to overlook the importance of what these muscles can do for us. Posture and injury prevention are huge, especially for those of us who lift big weight. We want to get the most out of our training and performance and looking to those exercises that enhance our stability and muscular support will pay off big time in the long run. But for those of us focusing on sport specific movements, our glutes allow us to speed up, slow down, and change direction effectively and efficiently and for those us looking to be the best at whatever our respective sport is, why not give ourselves the edge we deserve most.
Let’s check out frog pumps and see what this exercise is all about. From what they are, to the muscle worked, and the benefits that come with them, you will surely want to give these a try. Fairly simple to learn yet highly effective in gains, it is no wonder why people are turning to these to get the most out of their training routine.
What Are Frog Pumps?
Frog pumps are very similar in nature to a glute bridge, only your legs are set in a different position. What this does is allow you to work those glute muscles a bit differently than before which is great for challenging those muscles to grow. For those who struggle to activate their glutes during other glute focused or leg exercises, frog pumps will give you that advantage and allow you to thrive, building up a better base for strength training (1). A solid bodyweight exercise, frog pumps will work for higher volume with a lower load to add definition and support without putting you in a vulnerable position.
Muscles Worked
Frog pumps are fairly close to a glute isolation exercise. While other muscles are required to allow you to be in that position and perform the movement, this exercise really does a nice job of targeting the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius, while also targeting the smallest butt muscle in the gluteus minimus.
Benefits Of Frog Pumps
The benefits of frog pumps are hard to ignore and absolutely cannot be overlooked, especially when it comes to a working on toning and strengthening of your glutes. Benefits of frog pumps include:
Glute activation: This exercise offers a great way to activate your glutes to provide for support and increased growth (2).
Great bodyweight exercise: No equipment needed and you can perform this anywhere while only dealing with form and how to properly maximize the effects of a great bodyweight exercise.
Simple to learn: Similar to the glute bridge, this exercise is fairly simple to learn and execute, allowing for easy gains.
Hip mobility: Works to strengthen the hips to help with overall hip mobility and less pain in this vital area of the body (3).
How To Perform Them
Here are the steps for performing frog pumps:
Laying on your back, put the soles of your feet together and slide them close to your butt.
Engage your core and press your low back into the floor to allow for the most support possible.
Drive the edges of your feet into the floor while keeping your upper body tucked down and really squeeze your glutes as you push your hips forward.
Give a good squeeze and slight pause at the top to allow for maximum activation.
Gently lower to the floor and repeat for your desired number of reps.
Frog Pumps Tips & Advice
When it comes to performing frog pumps, it is vital to keep your core engaged to alleviate any pain that may come onto your low back. This provides added support and stability throughout the whole movement to ensure it is done properly. Also, keeping your glutes engaged the whole time will allow for better activation and that much desired growth you want most out of a good exercise.
If you want to perform this as a bodyweight exercise, it is an effective way to get a workout without any equipment. But for those looking for more load, you can use resistance bands or a dumbbell. If you are using a dumbbell, hold the weight on either end and rest it on your hips. For bands, wrap them just under your knee to create some tension that will require more load and effort to drive through.
As a good exercise for glute training, anyone looking to enhance stability and support should perform frog pumps. Also, for those looking to tone and strengthen their glutes, this is an effective exercise in doing so.
Wrap Up
Our glutes tend to be an overlooked muscle group and working them as effectively as possible can really work wonders for our stability and support. If you are looking for a great variation to the glute bridge, and an exercise that is simple yet effective in targeting your glutes, then look to frog pumps to make this happen. Use weight if you would like for that added load and really give yourself the best chance at growth. You won’t be disappointed with how the results of performing frog pumps turn out.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
Neto, Walter K.; Soares, Enrico G.; Vieira, Thais L.; Aguiar, Rodolfo; et al. (2020). “Gluteus Maximus Activation during Common Strength and Hypertrophy Exercises: A Systematic Review”. (source)
Distefano, Lindsay J.; Blackburn, J. T.; Marshall, Stephen W.; Padua, Darin A. (2009). “Gluteal muscle activation during common therapeutic exercises”. (source)
Hrysomallis, Con (2009). “Hip Adductors’ Strength, Flexibility, and Injury Risk”. (source)
Get Rid of Your Double Chin – Fast!
“I love my double chin,” said no one ever.
Let us begin by saying that spot reduction is not a thing. Meaning? Your double chin is not going away if you do a few neck stretches every day. Going crazy with these spot reduction exercises will leave you with cervical pain at best.
Some people take the spot reduction fiasco a step further by going for skin treatments and other face fat-reducing therapies. These people are anguished when they see fat pilling under their faces just after a few months of their procedures.
We don’t want to sound pessimistic, but if you think you’ll cheat your way to a superhero jawline – that’s not going to happen. Losing face fat is absolutely possible, but it’s going to take weeks’ worth of hard work. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.
Why You Have Face Fat
Genetics
Just like with other things fitness, genetics play a major role in your body composition. All of us are built differently. While some people have a chiseled jawline, the others have an oval-shaped face that can accentuate the roundness (and bulkiness) of their faces.
Some people are more genetically dispositioned to gain fat on their face. On the other hand, you probably know a few people who are overweight but could cut a pizza with their razor-sharp jawlines.
Apart from the structure of the face, facial features can have an impact on our appearance. We can reduce the amount of fat stored on our faces but no amount of dieting or exercise is going to change the underlying structure.
Body Fat Percentage
It goes without saying – if you’re generously overweight, no amount of sharp facial features can hide your face fat. Most of the fat in our bodies is stored under our skins and is distributed to all our body parts in varying degrees.
The thing about face fat is, it’s pretty hard to hide. Unlike with your love handles, you don’t have the option to cover them with layers of clothing. The new face mask lifestyle does help though.
Reducing your body fat percentage is the only way that double chin is going away. As you start to lose weight, you’ll see the fat shedding off your cheeks, jawline, neck, and overall body. But how do you lose body fat, you ask? This brings us to our next section.
How To Lose Face Fat
Follow a Calorie Deficit Diet
The quickest and the most effective way to shed body fat is to follow a calorie deficit diet. In a deficit diet, you’re burning more calories than you’re consuming. In a deficit diet since your body is short on energy, it burns stored fat to power itself. Quiet a robust system if you ask us.
Most people make the mistake of going too hard with the deficit. For losing 2-5 pounds every week, you should not be cutting out more than 100-150 calories from your diet. You should always ease into a deficit diet.
As you get comfortable with your new diet and your body starts responding, you should then take a call on cutting out more calories. Every person will respond differently to a reduction in calories and you should approach it with a trial and error mindset.
Cutting too few calories will result in an ineffective diet plan, and cutting too much will lead to a loss of muscle mass (if you have any). If you cut too much too soon, you’ll feel lethargic throughout the day and you’ll be more prone to binge eating and falling for cheat meals because of your cravings.
Weight Training
Resistance training is an underutilized tool when it comes to burning body fat. Heavy compound weightlifting can ramp up your fat loss process. Your metabolic rate jumps sharply between sets and post-workout while your body recovers.
The rise in the metabolic rate helps burn fat even when you’re not active. You should train at least 4-5 times every week to keep your metabolism in peak conditioning. Your workouts should be high intensity and high volume consisting mainly of compound lifts.
Studies have shown that targeting multiple muscle groups at once with compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, and military presses can lead to an increase in metabolic rate, muscle mass, and strength.
HIIT Cardio
Cardio is probably the most expected thing on the list. While cardio is a great fat-burning tool, you shouldn’t spend all your time climbing a Stairmaster to nowhere. Most people walk on a treadmill like they are after a dangling carrot in front of their noses. What does it remind you of? It speaks volumes about non-smart work.
To get rid of the double chin at the earliest, you should do a HIIT cardio session after your resistance training workouts. A HIIT cardio session should not last more than 10 minutes. In the 10-minute session, alternate between one minute of all-out sprinting and one minute of brisk walking.
Make Protein Your Go-To
Protein is your best friend if your goal is to lose the double chin. Not only does protein help in gaining muscle mass and losing fat, but it also helps recover faster after workouts and in retaining muscle mass.
Protein is also great at making you feel full for longer periods of time. If you plan on going out with friends but don’t want to feast on junk food, your best bet would be to gulp down a protein shake before heading out.
You should also eat a protein-rich meal first thing after waking up as according to a study published in the International Journal of Obesity, eating a high-protein diet in the morning—at least double what you’re eating now—can help you consume 400 fewer calories throughout the day and burn more fat over time.
Use Fat-Loss Supplements
Although we don’t want you to treat this as your primary option, fat-loss supplements can be an incredibly effective way of getting rid of the excess boy fat. Disclaimer: most of the fat loss supplements on the market are complete garbage.
Buy a fat loss supplement that has the following ingredients:
3 to 6 mg of caffeine per kilogram of your body weight
0.1 to 0.2 milligrams of yohimbine per kilogram of bodyweight
1 serving of Phoneix
You should use weight loss supplements only if you’re on a deadline and are not seeing the desired results.
Are you trying to get rid of your double chin? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
3 Compound Exercises For Massive Biceps and Triceps
Do these three compound exercises to build massive biceps and triceps.
For many people, the size of their arms is directly proportional to their self-esteem. Arms are one of the first muscle groups people focus on when they start working out. Even though arms are such a popular muscle group, only a few people have shirt ripping guns. While it may seem like a daunting task to get those bulging biceps and horseshoe-shaped triceps, knowing exactly what to do to challenge your muscles to see growth is imperative in actually achieving that.
Let’s take a look at some compound exercises for arms to really work those muscles into something you will love. Whether it be a compound bicep exercise or a compound tricep exercise, your entire arm will start to see great definition and something you can be proud of.
Benefits Of Strong Arms
Aside from the obvious benefit of a ripped aesthetic, strong arms play an important role in both sport specific and functional movements. The ability to provide stability to those vulnerable joints like your shoulders and elbows is something we shouldn’t take for granted. Also, by working those arms, you will start to see increased grip strength (1) as a results of those exercises you are performing. This will greatly increase the output you do during training for those results during performance.
What Are Compound Exercises?
Compound exercises are multi-joint movements which help in building size and strength and can increase your volume and intensity for all exercises (2). Isolation exercises (involving single joint), on the other hand, help in building muscle definition and separation. If you’re just starting out or have hit a plateau, compound exercises will help take your gains to the next level. By performing compound exercises, you will work multiple muscles with just one exercise to save time while also building better mind-muscle connection. For those looking to shed some weight, by working more muscle groups, you are burning more calories, thus leading to a decrease in weight for a more shredded aesthetic.
Compound Tricep Exercises
Close Grip Bench Press
Majority of the people have weaker triceps as compared to their biceps. This is why we like starting our workouts with triceps. Close grip bench press is one of the best exercises to build size and strength in your triceps.
Make sure you maintain a full range of motion while performing this exercise. Your triceps consist of three heads; lateral, medial and long. You need to train them equally to ensure an overall growth. The close grip bench press works the medial and lateral triceps heads.
Barbell Skullcrushers
Overhead movements like the barbell skull crushers work the long head of your triceps. The long head is the hardest to develop as only a few exercises target it. If you haven’t done this exercise in the past, ask for a spot from someone at your gym.
Lie on a flat bench with your arms stretched outwards while holding a barbell. Keep your elbows fixed at a position as your lower the barbell so it is a couple of inches away from your forehead. Return to the starting position and squeeze your triceps at the top of the movement.
Dips
You don’t always need to use additional weights to build muscle. Bodyweight dips are a great exercise to add mass to your triceps. If the bodyweight variation feels too easy, feel free to add resistance by using weights.
You don’t need to lift heavy weight to build muscle mass in your arms. Pumping blood into the muscle by performing higher reps and following a full range of motion will do the trick. Your chest should be parallel to your hands at the bottom of the movement and your elbows should be locked out at the top of the movement.
Compound Bicep Exercises
Barbell Curls
Bicep curls are one of the most effective bicep building exercises. Take a five-minute rest after you finish your triceps workout so the blood leaves your triceps. Muscle pumps occur when blood enters your target muscle group.
Use an Olympic barbell for the barbell curls. Maintain a strict form as you curl the barbell. Don’t swing your back or use momentum to lift the weights. Using improper form can lead to an injury.
Alternate Dumbbell Curls
Alternate dumbbell curls are a textbook bicep exercise. This exercise helps you in establishing a mind-muscle connection with your biceps as you’re targeting one bicep at a time. Maintain a full range of motion and avoid using momentum.
Pause and squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement. Stand with the dumbbells at your sides with your palms facing each other. Your palms should be supinated at the top of the movement.
Underhand Pull-Ups
Underhand pull-ups are the ultimate bicep finisher. This exercise is incredibly effective as you lift your entire bodyweight using your biceps. If you can’t perform bodyweight pull-ups, use an assisted pull-up machine or a spotter.
By the end of this exercise, your pythons will be filled with lactic acid. Holding the pull-up bar with a wide grip will focus on your inner biceps and a narrow grip will work your outer biceps.
Compound Exercises For Arms
These exercises above will greatly influence your arm growth so you start to see some real muscle definition and shredded arms you want most. To help with increase energy and muscle pumps, look towards using a great pre-workout supplement to really provide for a solid workout. On top of that, check out a high-quality protein supplement in order to advance muscle growth and help with recovery so you bounce back faster for that next workout.
Exercises
Sets
Reps
Close Grip Bench Press
3
12
Barbell Skullcrushers
3
12
Dips
3
20
Barbell Curls
3
12
Alternate Dumbbell Curls
3
15
Underhand Pull-Ups
3
20
Wrap Up
For those looking get those shredded arms, compound exercises are where you want to look. These will work multiple muscle groups while also giving you the edge when it comes to burning calories and saving time in the gym. Whether it be a compound bicep exercise or a compound tricep exercise, knowing which compound exercises for arms to perform will prove to be worthwhile for those gains. Give these exercises a try and be confident in showing off those absolutely shredded arms.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
Lee, Julia-Ann; Sechachalam, Sreedharan (2016). “The Effect of Wrist Position on Grip Endurance and Grip Strength”. (source)
Mangine, Gerald T.; Hoffman, Jay R.; Gonzalez, Adam M.; Townsend, Jeremy R.; et al. (2015). “The effect of training volume and intensity on improvements in muscular strength and size in resistance-trained men”. (source)
How Stress Affects Your Fitness Goals And How To Manage It
Exercise can positively help reduce stress, but too much stress can have a negative effect on your workouts.
Our lives are filled with busy schedules. Between work, relationships, personal self care, and trying to stay active and healthy, stress can creep in and disrupt a healthy lifestyle. It can be overwhelming and hard to control much of the time and without knowing the proper ways to manage stress, easing our minds can be a difficult challenge.
Your mind and body feed off of one another, working together to keep you both physically and mentally healthy. Exercise is a common and very beneficial stress relieving aid for being active works to boost endorphins to make you feel good (1).
Along with that, knowing you are actively building muscle or improving cardio can really enhance confidence and self-image, thus improving your mood and allowing you to relax and start to settle those stressful thoughts.
Unfortunately, stress can work against us at times and although we may embark on our fitness journey as best we can, the effects of stress can negatively impact our workouts. As a serious de-motivator, it can be hard to lace up our shoes and go for even a short run, let alone a high intensity workout, so learning to manage stress as best we can goes a long way in improving all aspects of our fitness goals.
Negative Effects Of Stress
Hinder Recovery
Recovery is an essential part of seeing big gains and overall growth and being overly stressed can make for a longer time to recover. Leaving you feeling tired and sore, your muscles will not have a chance to repair themselves (2). A lack of recovery not only leaves you feeling fatigued, but it increases your risk of injury potentially putting you out of the gym. Hydrating is key and adding in a good supplement like a whey protein can aid recovery but also ensure you get enough sleep so your muscles have time to fully recover.
Increase Muscle Tension
When you are stressed, your muscles tense up to protect against injury, and if not properly recovered, this can lead to unfortunate injury and pain. With tight muscles, your room to grow is seriously diminished and if you are in a constant state of stress, your muscles never truly get a chance to relax. This can also affect posture and trigger increased levels of cortisol, which triggers a fight or flight response leaving you in a continued state of tension. Working with a physical therapist or getting a massage can really help relieve a lot of this tension. Massage guns are also great at-home muscle relieving tools.
Affect Concentration
Stress forces your mind to wander and that loss of focus just makes you feel as if you are going through the motions. Working on mind-muscle connection in the gym will help you see growth and if a lack of concentration is present, you won’t perform to full potential. Poor concentration also makes it easier for mistakes to occur with form and technique, also increasing your risk of injury. Yoga and other forms of meditation are healthy ways to really gain clarity when it comes to boosting your concentration and focus.
Increase Appetite and Body Fat
We’ve all experienced an unfortunate binge when we are stressed. That is the result of a hormone called cortisol which is considered the “stress hormone” but also performs functions like aiding metabolism, increasing blood sugar, and modulating the immune system (3). Cortisol can increase your cravings for more sugary foods and mix that with a stressed out person, it leads to binge eating causing an increase in your caloric intake and unfortunate weight gain.
Cortisol also causes your body to store fat, increasing your body fat and making it hard to get that desired physique (4). This works in a vicious cycle of cortisol being released, increasing your cravings leading to a binge or just unhealthy eating, only to have cortisol then store fat to make it harder for you to lose weight. Working on stress relief and finding a good diet you can stay consistent with will help with this problem big time.
Ways To Reduce Stress
Stressors in our lives will always be present and knowing how to deal with stress will prove to be huge for our overall health and wellness. Exercise is key, so even when you feel down and out, find an excuse to get moving and get those endorphins flowing because you will feel better after (5). Too much caffeine or other stimulants can cause stress so working to reduce your caffeine intake will also help. Try meditation, yoga, or other mindfulness activities to really work to calm your mind and stay on top of your game. But most importantly, reach out to people. Whether it be family or friends, talk about what’s going on and let them help you. Your fitness goals are important but so is your overall quality of life so don’t let stress take you down.
Wrap Up
We all deal with stress in different ways. For those of us who love fitness and take our health seriously, stress can unfortunately work against us and force us into deep holes of despair keeping us from what we love and hurting our fitness progress. Hindering recovery, increasing muscle tension, promoting poor concentration, and leading us to weight gain are all ways that stress hurts our fitness goals. Working to reduce stress through mindfulness activities, talking with family and friends, and of course, pushing ourselves to exercise, are great ways to combat stress so you always win. Don’t let your hard work be taken down by stress and work to reduce it for your overall health and wellness.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
Jackson, Erica M. (2013). “Stress Relief: The Role of Exercise in Stress Management”. (source)
Stults-Kolehmainen, Matthew A.; Bartholomew, John B. (2012). “Psychological stress impairs short-term muscular recovery from resistance exercise”. (source)
Christiansen, Jens J.; Djurhuus, Christian B.; Gravholt, Claus H.; Iversen, Per; Christiansen, Jens S.; Schmits, Ole; Weeke, Jorgen; Jorgensen, Jens Otto Lunde; Moller, Niels (2007). “Effects of Cortisol on Carbohydrate, Lipid, and Protein Metabolism: Studies of Acute Cortisol Withdrawal in Adrenocortical Failure”. (source)
Kandhalu, Preethi. “Effects of Cortisol on Physical and Psychological Aspects of the Body and Effective Ways by Which One Can Reduce Stress”. (source)
Kim, Jong-Ho; McKenzie, Larry A. (2014). “The Impacts of Physical Exercise on Stress Coping and Well-Being in University Students in the Context of Leisure”. (source)
Sierra Skye Profile & Stats
The biography, life, and routine of Sierra Skye
Sierra Skye is a swimsuit model and Internet celebrity who has taken the world by storm with her amazing figure and fun lifestyle. Her attention to training and nutrition are what drive her to continued success.
Below is a complete breakdown of her profile, stats, biography, training, and diet regimens.
Full Name: Sierra Egan (aka Sierra Skye)
Weight
Height
Date Of Birth
125-135 lbs.
5’7’’
11/06/1995
Profession
Era
Nationality
Swimsuit Model, Internet Celebrity
2010
American, Italian
BIOGRAPHY
Sierra Skye was born in California to Native American and Italian parents. From an early age, they taught her the value of hard work and that to love something is the only way to live your life. From a very early age, she knew she wanted to be a model. After falling in love with both modeling and fitness as a child, the choice seemed very clear.
As that passion grew over the years, Skye found a routine both in terms of dieting and training that would soon become the foundation for her success as a model. Eventually, her passion allowed her time to become a full-time swimsuit model, a luxury she had been waiting to have. Once she started working with high-profile companies, her social media began to boom and her celebrity on the Internet became more and more clear.
She is now a worldwide-known model and Internet celebrity adored by people everywhere for her killer body and ability to work hard to maintain it. Due to her strict attention to detail and determination for making this reality she has continue, people have latched on to that as they look to better themselves.
TRAINING
For Skye, staying fit involves lifting, as well as cardio. Her cardio routine typically is only three days out of the week while her lifting routine is about five days. Her workouts are fairly short, but in that time she makes sure to seriously focus on what she needs to accomplish to make maximize her time in the gym. Her lifts usually take around 45-90 minutes and her cardio is typically no longer than 30 minutes.
Legs, Glutes & Abs Workout
This can be done with heavy weight for around 10-12 reps. For rest in between sets, 30-45 seconds is ideal, but two minutes tends to be her max.
Warm-up on a leg extension machine, 3 sets x 20 reps
Squats, 1 set warm-up with just the bar, then 3 sets x 10 reps
Leg Press, 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Lunges, 3 sets x 8-10 reps
Leg Extension Superset With Leg Curls, 3 sets x 10-12 reps
Glute Kickbacks, 3 sets x 10-12 reps
NUTRITION
For Skye, she really only eats clean, nutrient-rich foods and doesn’t leave much space for cheat meals. Through her extreme discipline, she has been able to thrive professionally and continue to see modeling success.
Breakfast
Typically, a smoothie to start off the day. This could include anything from almond milk, banana, cacao nibs, hemp seeds, maca powder, or a host of other nutritional foods. A protein powder to add in is perfect as well.
Lunch
Lunch tends to be heavy on the vegetables, and veggie wraps are a great lunch option for Skye. With a whole grain wrap, she will warm that up and spread some vegan mayo on it. Adding things like avocado, cucumber, and tomato, along with black and cayenne pepper, this wrap is the perfect lunch time meal.
Dinner
Dinner can consist of anything like fresh vegetables to protein of some kind, most likely chicken. If she really feels up for a change, Skye will indulge with Mexican tacos made with corn tortilla, coconut oil, ground turkey, iceberg lettuce, salsa, and cheese.
Dessert
If Skye is feeling something sweet with a just a bit of sugar, ice cream is her go to treat.
5 Gym Habits You Should Follow Post COVID
Gym Hygiene Habits To Live By
As much as it might sting, the fact is COVID-19 is here to stay. We should make peace with it and develop healthy habits to combat it. If you think you’re safe from the deadly disease because you’ve got the shots, think again. The effectiveness of the vaccines lasts for a year at max.
The novel coronavirus has permanently changed personal hygiene and how we interact with each other. We’ll soon see the vaccine shots taking the form of antibiotics and face masks becoming a norm.
On top of that, gyms aren’t the most hygienic places. It’s not uncommon to see a sweaty bro covering the benches and equipment with his bodily juices. It has also been found that viruses like corona can spread through the air. The proximity of people in the gyms and ample respiratory droplets in the air make it a fertile breeding ground for the virus.
5 Gym Habits You Should Follow Post COVID
Carry a Towel
If you weren’t carrying a towel already, you are a part of the problem. After the pandemic, you should ideally carry two towels to the gym. One for your face and the other for wiping down the gym equipment.
A very common mistake that most people make is that they keep their towels at random places while they’re doing their set. You don’t want other people touching and handling your wipes. If a single person has touched your towel, it beats the purpose of carrying it in the first place.
Also, for the love of God, stop using your t-shirt to wipe your face. Your t-shirt is full of germs by the end of the day, and then you wear it to the gym and use your sleeve to wipe off the sweat. If you’re so keen on getting an infection, you should rather ask someone to sneeze in your face.
Don’t Use The Gym’s Waterbottles
Many gyms provide you with water bottles and hand towels when you walk in for your workout. Although these gyms might be following the safety precautions, you shouldn’t push your luck too hard.
You should also avoid using your gym’s water cooler, toilets, saunas, and spas. Hit the gym for weight training and leave at the earliest. While you’re on your way out, make sure you don’t stop at the gym’s cafe.
A study conducted by Nature found that gyms are among the four riskiest places for transmission. They acted as “super-spreading” sites for COVID-19 transmission last spring, accounting for the majority of new infections in large U.S. cities. Good luck getting this out of your head the next time you step inside a gym.
Sanitize
Sanitization is the name of the game when it comes to keeping your hands clean of any viruses and bacteria. You should train at a gym that has dedicated staff for sanitizing the equipment every time someone uses it.
Carrying a hand sanitizer to the gym is also a good idea. If your gym doesn’t have staff for sanitizing the equipment, limit your workouts to a minimum of equipment and do the dirty work of cleaning the machines yourself.
Many people have a habit of touching their faces and wiping off sweat with the back of their hands. You should make sure you don’t touch your face without sanitizing your hands. After you’re done with your workouts, wash your hands thoroughly for at least one minute without fail.
Wear Masks
Wearing masks can be irritating, we know, but nothing is more effective at blocking contagious viruses, and it should definitely be a part of your gym habits. There are many kinds of masks in the market these days – designer, artistic, and whatnot but the most effective ones are surgical and N95s.
Surgical masks are a great fit for the gym as they are light and stretchable. On the other hand, working out in N95s can give you the experience of training in an elevation mask.
Many people have the habit of wearing the same masks for weeks. Once their mask gets visibly dirty, they wash it and start wearing it again. You should use a new mask every day. Surgical masks are great for this cause because they are budget-friendly and effective.
Select Your Gym Timings Wisely
You don’t want to be hitting the gym at the peak hours which usually are 5-9 am and 6-10 pm. If your schedule allows, ask your gym management when the iron paradise is the least crowded and book a training session at that time.
Another benefit of training at a ‘quiet’ time is that your workouts will be shorter as you won’t have to wait for your turn at the busy machines. Plus, you don’t have to worry about making sweat babies with the “corona is a scam” guy.
If you go to the gym just for cardio, you should probably explore other options like hitting the track or buying cardio equipment for home. Considering the current situation, if you can do something out in the open, you don’t want to be doing the same thing in a room full of 50 people.
Bonus: Choose Your Gym Carefully
Covid-19 has changed how you should choose a gym. Except for the usual machines, equipment, free weights, you should now also check if the gym has proper ventilation and if they have air purification systems installed at the facility.
We saw a rise in the pod-gym culture after the gyms started opening up after coronavirus. Expect this to become a new standard in one form or the other. Boutique franchises that offer classes to a fixed number of people at a time like Rise Nation, DanceBody, SoulCycle will be big beneficiaries of this culture.
You should opt for the gym which avoids cross-contamination with the right capacity, cleaning, and ventilation. A gym that makes temperature checks, wearing masks, using sanitizers mandatory, and requires you to pre-book your workout time slot should be preferred.
Do you follow any of the gym habits mentioned above? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
The 10 Best Fitness Products for 2020
Fitness and health work for hands in hand. Proper fitness is required for your healthy living, and you are to be healthy to carry out a fitness regime. For effective fitness, you need some products made for the purpose. There are different types of fitness products in the market today. The ones that reign supreme 2019 may not still be at the forefront in 2020. That is why this post is made to give you an updated list of 10 best fitness products for 2020.
You can buy top-notch fitness products, ranging from snacks to indoor workout gear, as you read to the end of this article. The truth is that getting motivated in a fitness regime is difficult most times. To make it easy for you to continue to enjoy exercising daily, you should go for a comfortable and top-notch fitness product. Check through our list of the best 2020 fitness products to select the ones that will meet your needs. You will be sure of keeping a healthy and fit body as you exercise with any of the fitness products mentioned on our list.
What you should know about fitness?
Before you dive into the world of fitness, it is necessary to find out the actual definition of the word, “Fitness.” According to the dictionary, fitness is a state or quality of being fit. It is being sound mentally and physically. But, most people normally restrict their definition of fitness to physical wellness and health. Fitness, according to exercise experts, does not mean that one has to embark on an ultra-marathon. It does not mean that you can personal one hundred pull-ups or one pull up. In a null shell, the meaning of fitness can be different for different people.
According to Facts and Statistics from HHS.gov, less than 5% of adults normally participate in 30 minutes of physical activity daily. Also, only 1/3 of adults normally receive the recommended dose of physical activities weekly. About 35-44% of adult age 75 years or more are active physically. With these statistics, you should ask yourself whether you are among the active adults within the stated age group or not. There is no need for a doctor to know about your fitness level. When you can stand up and walk around without pains, you are fit.
Some Benefits of Fitness You Should Not Ignore
There are quite a lot of benefits associated with fitness, which made it necessary for everyone, both children and adults. Learning more about the fitness benefits will spur you into trying your best to keep fit always. Some of the fitness and exercise benefits you should know to include:
Regular exercise and fitness can improve your mood, reduce depression and anxiety
Boost fast metabolism and burning of calories daily to lose weight
Increase your energy level
Fitness and regular physical activities will help to enhance your skin health
Enhance your sleep quality and relaxation.
How to Select the Best Fitness Products?
It is challenging to know the fitness products to buy with a lot of options in the market. Ranging from snack to gear, you will be overwhelmed with choices available as you check the market. However, there are solutions to the confusion associated with selecting a fitness product, which you will get from this content.
The first thing you should consider when you want to invest in exercise and fitness products is your age. Consider your age when you want to buy the fitness products to avoid getting the one that will cause broken bone or muscle pull. More so, it is necessary to consider checking through the part of the body you want to exercise more such as your shoulder, knees, abs, and more.
Another thing to put into consideration when you want to buy a fitness product is your current fitness level. Do you want to lose weight, and enhance your packs? Are you looking for muscle tune, or only to be smart and at alert? Your answer to these questions will determine your choice. It will help you to know the right product that will meet your fitness needs at any given time.
Get fitness product to help with your sleep quality and relaxation
To relax and enjoy better sleep, you need regular exercise. The reason for the better sleep is as a result of depletion of energy that happens when you exercise triggers recuperative process at the sleeping time.
More so, exercise usually increases body temperature, which helps to improve the quality of sleep by reducing during sleep time. There are many discoveries and researches on sleep that reached the same conclusion. According to a study, about 150 minutes of fair-to vigorous fitness activity in a week tend to offer about 65% improvement in the quality of sleep.
Must Read:: The Importance of Sleep for Bodybuilders
Those with insomnia have experienced improvements in their sleep following sixteen weeks of fitness and other physical exercises. More so, fitness helps to boost the energy level of the body and enhances work efficiency. Those suffering from a sleep disorder can get a solution to their problem with regular exercise.
Having the right exercise and fitness regime will help you to get a better result. So, if you are looking to boost your relaxation and sleep quality as an elderly one, you should consider going for any of the best fitness products for 2020 listed on our platform.
Stimulate your brain function and memory with these fitness products
The function of the brain and heart are very crucial for human existence. Lack of normal brain function can result in memory loss and other kinds of health issues. You can avoid this from happening by taking advantage of the fitness products for 2020 provided on our list.
Fitness through physical exercise can enhance brain function, protecting the memory and the ability to think. Workout or other forms of fitness activities increases heart rate, which also enhances blood flow as well as oxygen to the brain. Since the brain requires oxygen to person optimally, there is a need for regular exercise and fitness activities.
Those battling with chronic disease can get a solution quickly when they begin to keep fit. Older adults are expected to always embark on physical exercises that will help improve their fitness to avoid some age-related chronic diseases, such as memory loss and more.
Below is the list of handpicked ten best fitness profits for 2020 you should know.
Perfect Fitness Ab Carver Pro
To maintain body fitness and health, every home is expected to home gym products. If you are interested in getting the products but do not know the ones that will give you the required result, the Perfect Fitness Ab Carver Pro is one of the best products. The fitness product is created to improve the home gym, offering users an opportunity to strengthen their core and arms.
You are supposed to feel pains on your arms or core when you move them, as a feeling of pains in this area signal unfitness. That is why you should consider adding this fitness tool into your arsenal today to get the fitness result you have desired without wasting time.
Buy it HERE
To exercise with this fitness product, steer it left, right, or center to move your body alongside and strengthen the muscles. The mega-wide wheels will help you target your oblique’s. It also comes with hand a grip that helps to activate the muscles in the core and arms at the same time. The trending modifiable risk factor for premature death has been attributed to insufficient exercise. To avoid that happening to you, there is a need to get this perfect fitness Ab Carver Pro listed here.
ABOX Percussion Massage Gun
Your search for the best fitness products will be easy when you check through our list here. The NordicTrack Recovery Massage Gun is one option you should not miss when you want to maintain proper fitness. The fitness product is great for both young and old, which made it the delight of fitness seekers. So, if you want to keep fit in a fun and exciting way, you should consider adding the ABOX Percussion Massage Gun to your list of equipment.
Buy it HERE
Adding to the improved technology associated with this fitness tool, it is also a more affordable alternative to the sophisticated Theragun Therapy device.
The ABOX Percussion Massage Gun is created with three interchangeable massage heads. The massage heads help to improve blood flow, activate the muscle, and relieve tension in the muscle. More so, when you begin to massage your body with this fitness product, your body will be fired on the cylinders. With this fitness product, you can reduce stress, manage anxiety, and depression. More so, you can also improve your sleep quality with regular use of this product.
DynaPro Exercise Ball with Pump
Before now, the exercise ball was commonly seen at homes and offices. But, lately, it is becoming uncommon to catch the sight of that mostly in the offices. Employees in most offices are often seen with their back sunken in their back on their office chair, which is the cause of many posture-related health issues retired workers usually suffer. The DynaPro Exercise Ball with Pump is a five-star rated fitness product you should buy.
Many things made this exercise and fitness product the best among others in the market. The DynaPro Exercise Ball is crafted with some tech features that made it a good fitness product for everyone. Some of the features associated with this fitness product that made it one of the best on our list include:
Pump
Plug
Plug-remover tool.
Buy it HERE
It may also interest you to know that the fitness tool is created to be effective without fear of bursting during use. In that regard, you can balance on the ball or bounce as you wish with the ball.
The ANCHEER Under Desk Elliptical
If you always have a busy day in the office, the ANCHEER Under Desk Elliptical is the fitness product you should buy. With this fitness product, you do not have to give an excuse about what made you not to exercise during the day. It is created to continue to work out as you carry out your duties in the office. You can continue to juggle between emails and phone calls at the same time continue to peddle with the product.
Buy it HERE
Connect the ANCHEER to your mobile app through Bluetooth to track your workout progress at the same time set goals weekly. The fitness product is created with eight resistance levels. Therefore, you can adjust the intensity of your workout as you make use of this device. The most interesting thing about this device is that it is quiet and does not make noise. With the noiseless function, your coworkers will not be bothered at any given time.
ProForm PFTL60916 505 CST
Are you looking for the best way to keep fit without stressing yourself? No worries as you have come to the right online platform where your needs will be met. The ProForm PFTL60916 505 CST is built for those that are interested in running but are not sure the amount of time to invest in the fitness habit. It is an indoor fitness product that will allow you to make your home gym efficient and rewarding.
Buy it HERE
The price tag on this fitness product is this product is affordable, which made it the best for those that want to keep fit without spending a lot of money to equip their home gym. More so, the fitness machine comes with one month of free unlimited workout program.
Adults and children can benefit from this fitness product to achieve their goal. One more thing you should know about this product is that it is foldable and does not take up a lot of storage space. In that regard, storage space is not always an issue for those that have this fitness machine in their homes.
Power Bloc Sports 24 Adjustable Dumbbells
Physical exercise lowers the risk of heart disease by more than 20%, and weight lifting is one of the ways to engage in physical exercise. The power Block Sport 24 Adjustable Dumbbells will allow you to build your fitness and enhance your overall health.
Buy it HERE
To make use of this fitness product, choose the weight you can train with and start training. The dumbbells are created to be adjustable in three-pound increments. With the improved features of this training machine, it has gotten 4.5-stars from more than four hundred Amazon reviews.
The comfortable feel and colorful look of this product contributed to make this fitness product the best among others in the market. That is why we have decided to list this product on our list. Adding to the amazing features of the product, it is affordable. That is why you should go on and take advantage of it today without delay.
The Bosu Balance Trainer
To those that visit the gym frequently, Bosu Balance Trainer is not a new thing to them. It is both popular and useful for fitness and wellness. Fitness exercise comes in different forms and types, and you need a combination of them to get the result you desire.
Buy it HERE
Those that think their squat, plank, and standard crunch, or push up is not giving them desired benefits, can consider bringing this balance trainer. The Bosu Balance Trainer comes with increased difficulty to satisfy your rock-hard body needs. With this training product, you will not continue with your usual training but get to another level of the training. Your fitness routine will be enhanced to improve your body and enhance your overall health. The cost of this training machine is equally affordable, which is the best for anyone planning to train hard and get a better result.
Raleigh Bikes Cadent 2 MD/17
Biking is an exciting fitness activity both to young and old. With the fun and entertaining nature of this sport, bikes are required in homes where people are interested in maintaining their fitness and health. Many sports bikes are in the market today, and some of them are available at an affordable rate. The Raleigh Bikes Cadent 2 MD/17 offers great features that attract people to it. Therefore, for your fitness and overall health, you should consider getting yourself a sports bike like the one discussed here.
Buy it HERE
Raleigh sports bike is recommended for various reasons. It offers some mind-blowing fun features and comes at an affordable rate. Children and adults love this sports bike, which is the reason you should get one for your family to encourage fitness, healthy living, and wellbeing. The flat handlebars, coupled with the sporty structure of Raleigh sports bike, contributed to its stability and balance.
Road navigation is simple and exciting with Raleigh, as it is crafted with 24-speed gears, mechanical disc brakes, and more. So, you can easily cruise on the gravel path with this bike without fear. One exciting thing about sports biking is that it encourages fitness and workout for everyone. Go on and get a Raleigh bike to boost your memory function, brain performance, and fitness.
Kinetic by Kurt Road Machine Smart Bike Trainer
Fitness and exercise routine can get bored when you continue to do the same thing daily. To make your daily workout routine interesting and fun, you need to get any of our ten best fitness products for 2020. The Kinetic by Kurt Road Machine Smart Bike Trainer is one of the best fitness products out there in the market that will assure your fitness without wasting time. Take advantage of the opportunity the trainer product offered here to experience the fitness you desire.
You can set up the indoor cycling training right in within your basement, and connect it to your Smartphone through Bluetooth to start pedaling. With the help of this fitness tool, you can do the following:
Monitor your speed
Power your training
Monitor your distance.
Buy it HERE
Controlling of this machine is possible with the help of the handheld device. You can continue taking advantage of the Ironman-training notwithstanding the weather.
Flybird Adjustable Bench
If you are a weight lifter but do not want to stand up during the activity, this fly bird adjustable bench is the best choice. The foldable bench is created with 6-back positions option to lay flat and four seat positions. Each of the adjustable positions of this bench has been praised by reviewers.
That is why the bench is added here as one of the best for fitness seekers. With the foldable feature, the bench does not take a large space for storage. More so, the bench has a whooping capacity of about five hundred pounds. That made it the right choice for trainers of all sizes.
Buy it HERE
You will make sure that you experience an exciting fitness program as you take advantage of this adjustable bench. With this bench, weight lifting, and other muscle training becomes easier and exciting. You will also not spend a lot of money to acquire this weight lifting adjustable bench, as it is offered at an affordable rate. So, go on and place your order today to have this wonderful fitness product in your basement.
Conclusion
With the enormous benefits associated with fitness and exercise, it is expected that everyone will be interested in it. But, most people are not able to exercise or embark on fitness activities because of their tight schedule. To such people, what they need is to check throughout ten best fitness products for 2020 to select the one that will meet their needs. You can find various types of indoor and outdoor fitness products as you read through our list. Different fitness products are made for different kinds of people. Your fitness goal will determine the particular fitness product to buy. If you want to train your muscles, you can consider going for dumbbells.
One more thing about our list of best fitness products is that they are made to allow everyone to keep fit. Most of the products listed here are affordable. That is why you should consider checking out for them to know the one that can give you the level of satisfaction you desire. So, are you ready to enjoy the benefits of fitness and exercise? Check through our list to select the best fitness product that will make your exercise time fun and entertaining time.
How Dana Linn Bailey Works Out For A Shredded Aesthetic
This workout routine from Dana Linn Bailey will work to give you a seriously shredded physique.
Dana Linn Bailey is an American Pro bodybuilder and 2013 Olympia winner in the Figure Division. She is also a popular Internet personality and entrepreneur seeking to take what she knows about the fitness world to better the lives of others.
For many of us, finding a great workout routine that fits our lifestyle is incredibly important. With so many exercises to choose from, it can be overwhelming trying to put something together that we can not only enjoy but get the most out of. Looking to the pros and those with massive and shredded physiques is one way to get to where we want to be. As perfect examples of hard work and dedication, their workout routines are exactly what we need to succeed and they are proof of what these workouts can do. This amazing workout routine from Dana Linn Bailey is one to give you a shredded physique you want most.
As a true professional and Olympia winner, Dana Linn Bailey knows just what to do in order to see that much desired growth take place and these workouts will fire up your muscles to grow.
Full Name: Dana Linn Bailey (IFBB Pro Bodybuilder)
Weight
Height
Date Of Birth
125-135 lbs.
5’5’’
05/30/1983
Division
Era
Nationality
Fitness & Figure
2010
American
With an approach to lifting heavy weights and really taking advantage of higher sets and reps, Bailey seeks to not only work hard but also keep her workouts fun and engaging so they never grow stale. As a real competitor and one to watch, these workouts will fit into your busy schedule nicely so you can work hard and not spend all day in the gym. Plus, you won’t be disappointed by the results.
About Dana Linn Bailey
In her youth, Bailey was always active, encouraged to partake in regular activities to stay physically involved. Trying a variety of sports, she found she had an innate ability to be competitive and this would prove her well into her bodybuilding career. She earned her pro card in 2011 and would go on to win several more competitions before her 2013 Olympia victory, thus putting her on the map as a serious contender in the pro circuit. She is now an Internet personality and entrepreneur seeking to pass her knowledge onto others so they too can be confident in their physique like she is.
Dana Linn Bailey Training Routine
This training routine from Dana Linn Bailey will see heavy compound movements matched by other great isolation exercises to really target certain muscle groups to provide for some serious growth. Keeping a fun and engaging routine in your repertoire is important, especially as you work hard. The choice to continue to enjoy what you are doing is important as you look toward seeing gains and wanting to love building your craft and physique. Higher sets and reps will allow more time under tension and a better chance at growth.
Shoulder Routine For Desired Boulders
Exercises
Sets
Reps
Seated Cable Front Raise
4
10
Seated Cable Face Pulls
4
10
Seated Cable Overhead Press
4
10
Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raise
4
12
Dumbbell Overhead Press
4
12
Incline Dumbbell Rear Fly
4
10
Alternating Front Raise
4
12
Chest Workout For Rounded Pecs
Exercises
Sets
Reps
Bench Press
5
5
Incline Bench Press
4
8
Incline Dumbbell Press
5
10
Incline Cable Fly
5
10
Cable Cross Fly
4
10
Leg Routine For Massive Lower Body
Exercises
Sets
Reps
Seated Leg Curl
4
10
Back Squat
5
8
Long Pause Squat
5
6
Lying Leg Curl
4
10
Barbell Stiff Leg Deadlift
5
10
Sumo Squat
4
8
Single Leg Extension
5
8
Bulgarian Split Squat
4
10
Back Workout For Wider Lats
Exercises
Sets
Reps
Cable Lat Pulldown
4
10
Close Grip Seated Cable Row
4
12
Wagon Wheel Barbell Deadlift
4
8
Wide Grip Lat Pulldown
4
10
Behind The Back Pulldown
4
12
Barbell Rows
4
8
Reverse Push-Up
4
10
Machine Rear Delt Fly
4
12
Arms Routine For Bigger Bis and Tris
Exercises
Sets
Reps
Barbell Curls
4
10
Dumbbell Hammer Curls
4
12
Reverse Grip Cable Curl
4
10
Reverse Grip Pulldown
4
10
Skullcrushers
4
12
Close Grip Press
4
10
Overhead Rope Cable Extension
4
12
Triceps Pulldown
4
12
Featured Supplement
While Dana Linn Bailey uses her own supplements of choice, having a solid supplement routine is important for seeing growth and those desired gains we all want most. Having supplements like intra-workouts and protein powders are important for tackling those needs during and after your workout to ensure you get the right nutrients into your body to help you fully maximize your workout, but a good pre-workout can really boost your training sessions to new heights. We wanted to share a great pre-workout with you so you are ready to tackle anything that comes your way.
Performance Lab SPORT Pre
Performance Lab Sport Pre is another high quality pre-workout supplement available to the public at a great price point. Performance Lab Sport is one of the most rigorously scientifically vetted brands and all of their pre-workout products are free of synthetic additives (which might dehydrate the muscles), non-GMO, and vegan friendly. Sport “Pre” increases nitric oxide in the blood to support the oxygenation of muscles during workouts, improves endurance by hydrating the muscles, and enhances both anaerobic and aerobic exercise by increasing ATP reductase.
Price: $39.00
Try Performance Lab SPORT Pre Today
Check out our list of the Best Pre-Workout Supplements for more awesome products!
Wrap Up
This training routine from Dana Linn Bailey is one to seriously fire up those muscles to allow for a shredded aesthetic that you will love. Working with higher weight, sets, and reps will allow for those muscles to get real work done while also providing for a fun and engaging way to continue working out. Taking advice from the pros is a great way to maximize our own gains and Dana Linn Bailey is a true professional to learn from.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Dana Lynn Bailey Instagram