Posts Tagged ‘exercise’

6 Best Home Leg Exercises for Strength and Mass

Thursday, November 22nd, 2018

Generally speaking, while working out the primary concern of bodybuilding is to develop a toned upper body, to the extent that aspiring bodybuilders sometimes forget to pay much attention to their legs. And if they do train legs, it is pretty much the bare minimum and a half-willed effort – leg press and leg curls, for example.

Legs

Many beginners focus so much on a toned set of abs or bowling ball shoulders, that they skip out on leg day and forget to include their squats and deads throughout the week. This greatly affects the symmetry of the body. So to obtain that perfect physique you dream about, you will need to include leg workouts too. (more…)

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Could Cannabis Be Helping With Your Exercise?

Friday, November 9th, 2018
stoner athlete

Cannabis could be the edge you need to take your running to the next level!

Endurance Training

Adrian Landini is not only a long-time runner, but he’s also a long-time cannabis user. Not only does he enjoy smoking cannabis, but he also enjoys smoking it before a run and sometimes during a run. What may have begun as a one-off, has now become an integral part of Adrian’s endurance training. “I just kind of Zen out, I pay attention to my movements and what’s around me and whatnot, and just bring it in with good form,” the Toronto resident says about why he smokes cannabis.

Adrian believes that cannabis is what helps him with focusing his sense of awareness and also with the pain associated with endurance running and training. Often during long endurance runs, the pain from sore toes and feet, while minor, can often become overwhelming if a runner can’t lock it out and power through it.

(more…)

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Finding Pilates Services Near You

Thursday, November 8th, 2018

Hamstring StretchPilates is by far one of the most popular exercise methods practiced in today’s society. This is partly because it is so easily altered to suit a myriad of different people. Pilates can be tailored to every skill level, most body types, it can even work with many disabilities. It builds strength and promotes flexibility. The strengthening program is ideal for rehabilitating many types of injuries and the flexible portion is great for preventing many injuries.

There are many books and videos to help people practice at home, but many people prefer a class setting. There are many reasons for this some which may include a more structured learning environment and a built-in support group. Because of this, people tend to seek out a class anytime they begin practicing pilates, go to a new area, travel, or move.

In some locations, it is easy to find a pilates class while others prove to be incredibly difficult. The primary reason for this is that bigger areas tend to have more classes available while smaller areas may only have one, possibly even none. So here, you will find a guide on how to find the right pilates class for you. (more…)

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Health Hacks: 9 Budget-Friendly Ways To Combat The Flab

Tuesday, November 6th, 2018

Let’s face it, eating healthy is expensive. Not each and every individual can afford to spend extra $500 per month on groceries. That is why people often give up on losing weight due to budget constraints. There is, however, a solution to this problem. There are ways in which you can lose weight without inflating your budget. 

Fitness Couple

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Is Drinking Cold Water When Exercising Good or Bad?

Monday, October 22nd, 2018

Drink Water

You are approximately 60% water. In fact, you probably wouldn’t survive for more than 3 days without water. It is an essential part of your body as it ensures nutrients are able to move between cells and toxins are flushed out.

This is even more important when you’re exercising as you’re sweating the water out of your body. To counteract this you’ll need to drink before and after you exercise. In fact, many people prefer to drink water while they are working out. But is it a good idea to drink cold water when exercising?

The first thing to understand about cold water is that it will reduce your internal core temperature. If you’re not exercising when you drink the cold water then your body will need to increase your core temperature. This boosts your metabolism and helps you to burn more calories. (more…)

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Make the Most of Your Post-Workout Shower

Friday, October 12th, 2018

So, you already know all the benefits of taking a nice, relaxing post-workout shower, but are you making the most out of those showers?

shower fitness

You push yourself through each workout, becoming stronger, healthier, and happier with your growth and accomplishments. However, it’s important to not let all that hard work go down the drain. Here are some important post-workout shower tips that can step up your workout routine:

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8 Tips on How To Build Your Muscle

Wednesday, September 19th, 2018

build muscleMost people who exercise do so for two main reasons – to lose weight or to build muscle. Sometimes these can be done concurrently. In order to lose weight people do cardio exercises which help in shedding the fat. They also focus on burning more calories than they are consuming. Building muscle is a bit more complicated because it requires eating and exercising in the right way. A lot of lean men and women fail to build muscle because they think it is as simple as lifting some weights and waiting for the results. Building muscle takes hard work, consistency, and most of all knowledge on how exactly you can pack on the muscles.

So here are 8 tips to get you started on your bulking journey.

1. Eat Enough

As you work on increasing the size of your muscles you must provide your body with enough food to support this growth. It is important to consume enough calories to ensure that you are taking in more calories than you are burning. A calorie deficiency leads to weight loss so aim for the opposite. Taking in more calories leads to weight gain and when coupled with weight-training this will result in muscle growth. (more…)

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A 3 Week Diet Sounds Insane, Here’s Why It’s Effective

Wednesday, September 5th, 2018

Dietary Fat is Bad

Many of us have packed on more weight than we would ideally like, and this is a problem in so many different ways. If you have come down a path that you do not like, and where the ending may be downright frightening, the call to change may be loud and clear.

Luckily, there are some amazing resources that can help you begin to live the life that you have always wanted to live.

 

The Pain of Today

 

Do you feel like your life is not going the way you want it to go because of your physique? It is said that two out of every three American adults are overweight or obese, with a third of American adults being in the latter camp. You may very well have a body shape that does not feel comfortable, does not feel like who you really are, and even that causes you physical pain. (more…)

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Gym injuries: how supplements can aid recovery and boost performance

Thursday, August 16th, 2018

How’s your fitness regime going? In summer, most of us take our workouts a bit more seriously. But did you know that taking the right vitamins and minerals can help strengthen bone, build muscle, prevent injury, and aid recovery — ideal whether you’re into cardio or resistance training?  

workout performance

If you’re a regular at the gym, you need to ensure that your body takes in what it needs to perform. Don’t underestimate the importance of nutrition — check out how vitamins and minerals can help you push harder in your next work-out session. (more…)

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Post Workout Blogging for Stress Relief

Monday, August 13th, 2018

fitness blogging

Many of us have post workout routines that we feel are important for our fitness. From stretches and yoga to meditation and even meals or protein shakes, the things we do after our workouts are just as important as what we do during them.

 

The reason? Fitness is 20% about what we do in the gym and our exercises, 80% about what we eat and put in our bodies, but 100% mental. The post-workout routine is filled with these mental and physical exercises and practices that remain critical to our fitness success.

 

What can we add to our post-workouts for better fitness and for stress relief? Surprisingly, one answer is blogging. Why? Because it combines some of the mental tasks above with habitual practices that make your workouts more productive and help you keep track of the things you want and need to accomplish. Starting a blog, choosing a domain and website host and designing your site are all pretty easy. Once you get going, blogging can be addictive just like exercise.

 

How does post-workout blogging help improve your workouts? Here are a few ways. (more…)

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5 Bad Habits You Need to Quit Now if Sustained Muscle Growth is Your Goal

Wednesday, August 8th, 2018

build muscle

Here is an interesting guest post by a good friend of Project Swole. He wishes to remain mostly nameless (aside from mentioning his name is Andy), but trust in me he is smart and experienced, and I think this piece will really connect with most Swole readers.


It’s unpleasantly like being drunk.”

“What’s so unpleasant about being drunk?”

“You ask a glass of water.”

– Douglas Adams, British author, and humorist

 

Human beings like habits, as a rule. It’s like that old phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” So, if we do something, and it works out ok, we’ll do it again.

 

Good or bad, habits allow us to predict the future – if I do this (exactly as I did yesterday), I know what will happen. Habits equal proven outcomes. Get on this train at this time in the morning, and I’ll be at work on time.

 

And if those habits are linked to a reward of some description, anything from a hit of dopamine in the brain by achieving a specific goal or, heaven forbid, one of a human being’s primary rewards – either food or sex, we’ll be back same time tomorrow, guaranteed, with our plate in our hand, as it were.

 

Habits provide routine, and for us, routinely provides security.

 

Unfortunately for us, some habits don’t sit well with others, and the rewards each brings actually off-set against one another, which kind of defeats the object. Take, for example, the diabetic cake-shop owner. You get my point. In fact, like the rest of our existence, it’s all just one big juggling act, seeing what works, what doesn’t, what affects something else, and so on, and hoping for a happy medium somewhere along the line. (more…)

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A Simple Guide To Build Muscle In 90 Days

Monday, July 30th, 2018

You have to remember that you can start to really change your life when you are working out and trying to build muscle as fast as possible. Someone who is trying to build muscle needs to have a plan, and it is much easier for you to start following a plan. This plan helps you get the best chance to have the muscles you have always wanted, and you can do this if you are young or old. You look your best, and it all happens in about 90 days.

fitness superman

Follow these steps, make a plan, stick to it, and live healthy for 90 days. When you see what you accomplish and how you feel, you might never stop. (more…)

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What You Need to Know About LA Fitness

Sunday, July 15th, 2018

LA Fitness

If you are tired of postponing your workout or finding reasons to skip the gym, you should think about how important it is for you to look good and stay healthy. Even if it’s not easy to find the right gym that goes hand in hand with your busy schedule, you have to make an effort in order to stay in shape. You want to look for a gym local to your home or work, that has adequate equipment, lenient rules, helpful staff, and workable operating hours.  (more…)

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Dexter Jackson’s Tips for Constructing a Chest Workout

Sunday, July 8th, 2018

Dexter Jackson chest training

Dexter Jackson, also known by his cool name “The Blade” is a legendary bodybuilder and is known for his perfect body symmetry and conditioning.

Dexter has won multiple titles namely Mr. Olympia, Arnold Classic, and New York Pro. He has also won 28 IFBB professional bodybuilding awards to set a unique world record.

With only about 10 weeks left for Olympia 2018, The Blade has hit the gym hard and has been extensively doing chest workout.

Dexter started with incline bench barbell press and worked up his way to flat bench presses. He also did one other variant of bench presses.

The next exercise was Incline-Bench DB Flyes and Hammer Strength Incline Machine following that. He did some core exercises to finish off the routine and took some supplements to help recovery from the workouts and repair his muscles. (more…)

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5 Easy Ways to Have a Strong Upper Body

Wednesday, July 4th, 2018

Many people who hit the gym tend to concentrate more on the lower body exercises and the body parts with muscles that tend to bulge easily, and they can end up forgetting about the back and shoulder exercises.

strong upper body girl

You should know that working out your upper body is very important if you want to maintain an all-round fit body. Being well rounded and robust from your back, shoulders and the rest of your body gives you a good posture and an excellent body shape.

(more…)

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6 Habits You Seriously Need To Drop To Lose Weight

Wednesday, May 30th, 2018

We all have bad habits that hinder our quality of life. When it comes to weight loss, we need to reconsider our habits and eliminate those that keep us from healthier bodies. Our bad habits might relieve us of stress temporarily but in the long run, it is not the best for us. For example, fast food is convenient after a long workday but it adds to our waistlines gradually.

Poor Health Habits

Here are a few bad habits you must ditch if you want permanent weight loss.

(more…)

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7 Pieces of Home Gym Equipment Every Bodybuilder Needs

Friday, May 25th, 2018

Home Gym GirlAll of us would prefer to be in better shape, but in today’s hectic world, it isn’t always easy to find the time to do so. It is much easier to get the necessary exercise and to stay in shape when the equipment you need to is in your home. But with so many options for gym equipment out there, it can be hard to know where to begin. The following are the most essential pieces of gym equipment for any home gym setup.

Adjustable Dumbbells

No home gym is really complete without a set of adjustable dumbbells. Whether you are going to be trying to build or maintain your muscle growth, a set of adjustable dumbbells will see you through. Not only are dumbbells an already versatile piece of equipment, by adjusting the weight, you can increase or decrease the difficulty and, therefore, effectiveness, of your workout routine.

Of all the most common pieces of gym equipment found in the home, dumbbells produce the most reliable and consistent improvements. The nature of dumbbell exercises means that they require a significant amount of effort from muscle fibers to maintain stability. A good set of adjustable dumbbells is a worthwhile purchase for any serious bodybuilder.

Olympic Barbell Set

Much like the dumbbells, a barbell will put the same kind of strain (a good kind) on your body and muscles as dumbbells. The barbell is essentially a single long dumbbell, and most of the exercises done with the barbell are two-armed variants on dumbbell exercises. A barbell set is a worthwhile addition to any home gym setup, but if you already have dumbbells, and there are other pieces of equipment you are missing, you might want to invest in another piece of equipment first. (more…)

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How To Maintain Your Looks As You Age

Friday, May 18th, 2018

healthy skin

We all want to look good, but the inevitability of aging makes maintaining your looks harder with every passing year. With age come wrinkles, sagging, and a whole host of other things nobody wants to think about. In the absence of a fountain of youth, how do you combat the effects of time on your body? (more…)

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Best Headphones for Each Type of Workout

Thursday, May 10th, 2018

Working out without music would be miserable. Workout playlists make time pass faster and help you pump yourself up for the next rep! If you’ve ever tried to workout with the wrong pair of headphones, you know just how frustrating it can be. Whether you hate dealing with a cord in your face or you sweat all over bulky over-the-ear headphones, you know you need something that can handle your level of workout.

It turns out not all headphones are created equal! Some headphones are best used for certain types of workouts, and that’s why you need to learn more about what kind is right for you. Here is a guide to the best headphones for every type of workout! Take your workout to the next level with these tips.

changing weights

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Four Great Tips for Reducing Anxiety

Saturday, May 5th, 2018

stress anxiety womanWe recently published a post at Project Swole about treating many comment mental well-being complaints with Xanax, and of course, we all know how well exercise helps with anxiety.

Here are some additional tips for battling anxiety and other mental health issues, ranging from sleep to meditation to alternative supplements.

Keep your mental health strong and your physical health will follow! (more…)

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