Here’s a great video on how to perform the perfect dip to work out your arms and chest (if you lean forward a bit). Kin also gives some tips on how to increase the intensity of the exercise, so that it remains challenging.
29 August, 2009
21 August, 2009
Losing Weight Without Losing Muscle
Why do I need to do weights if I just want to lose weight?
A common question many dieters ask.
For most of us trying to lose weight, the number on the scale may be the only way you’re determining whether that diet is working for you. Shedding the pounds is of utmost concern when it comes to battling the bulge, but it shouldn’t be the only concern.
Losing weight isn’t only about seeing a smaller number on the bathroom scale – it’s about losing fat and increasing your lean body tissue. Lean body tissue is also known as muscle and is more metabolically active. It burns more calories than fat alone, even when you’re body’s resting.
In fact, relying solely on dieting and aerobic exercise will do the opposite of what you want: reducing your lean body tissue. Without strength training, scientists have found that you may lose about 1 pound of muscle mass for every 3 pounds of fat, making it harder to lose weight and keep it off in the long run since your body will have less lean tissue to burn calories. And if you happen to gain weight on your diet, scientists have found that it tends to be pure fat.
For this reason, it is absolutely vital that any exercise regimen include strength training. If you’re on a diet, you may lose a bit of lean body tissue, but you can control the amount or even prevent it from happening by avoiding crash diets (which make you lose more lean body tissue than fat) and performing intense weightlifting or resistance exercises every other day. Make sure to target the major skeletal muscles, such as the quads, pecs and abs. To support muscle repair and building, remember to take a day off before your next strength training workout and include lean protein sources in your diet, such as chicken, beans and fish.
12 August, 2009
Kin Sze Talks about Explosive Chin Ups
Our very own Kin Sze talks about chin ups – but not those lame ones you see some people doing. These chin ups are to build explosive strength. Explosive strength training is essential for sports and martial arts, where you need spurts of serious power to overwhelm an opponent.
This video shows you how to do a proper chin up, and the areas of the body that it works.
4 August, 2009
3 Tips for a Better Workout
You’ve been so diligent, exercising and watching what you eat for months. At first, the fat was melting off of you, but for weeks now, you’ve hardly noticed any positive change. In fact, it looks like you’re gaining weight. Why?
Don’t get frustrated and give up. Known as a plateau, it’s a common problem for many people who work out. The only way to overcome a plateau and start seeing positive results again is to change your workout routine (following the advice of your doctor, of course). Here are 3 tips to help keep your workout routine well worth the effort:
Challenge Yourself
The key to any effective workout is about challenging yourself. Think of your current workout as your base, and and build from there. You’ve got to challenge yourself and your physical ability by doing something that will make you exert more effort to get your heart pumping, just like how you did it when you started working out.
Muscle: 3 sets of 12 reps on 50lbs – is that your rule and you’re sticking to it? Hopefully not. Muscle builds, and it will adapt accordingly. As a result, you can’t expect to build your muscle if you’re pumping the same amount of weight all the time. You’ve got to increase the weight in order to improve that muscle tone you’re working on.
Aerobic: You’ve been taking the same step class from the beginning, 3x a week without fail. You’ve committed every movement to memory and hardly break a sweat anymore. No wonder you’re not seeing any results! Not sweating in the intermediate class? Try the advanced. Not feeling the burn after 20 minutes on the stationary bike? Bump up the speed and go for 30. Jogging around the block too easy? Try some hills.
Try Something New
Doing the same thing over and over again only works the same parts of your body and muscles, over and over again. For example, if you only go on the stationary bike, you usually use your quads, calves, and butt, not to mention the benefits for your cardiovascular system. But how about your inner thighs, upper body, and other areas?
A plateau can be easily overcome by simply ditching what you usually do and trying something different. For your aerobic workout, how about steering clear of that stationary bike and trying the climbing machine instead? You’ll get to work out a variety of areas that have been neglected. Or instead of doing those lunges to work out your butt, do some squats instead. Go swimming instead of jogging, play basketball instead of tennis – get creative!
The 4 Week Rule
Instead of sticking with some old tired routine, follow the 4-week rule. In one 4-week period, do the same set of exercises (with a slight increase in weight or duration if you feel it’s not challenging enough), targeting a certain aspect of your fitness or body. After 4 weeks, change the exercises, increase their intensity dramatically and do something else for another part of your fitness or body. Doing this will help keep your workout fresh, and zero in on the areas you wish to improve.
