weight training

Everything is changing these days and the digital world is taking over. Have you ever played video games? Well, most video games in the past have required very little or no physical activity. But now, digital workout games are becoming far more popular than actually working out itself.

The latest video craze is thanks to the Wii and complimentary games like Wii Fit and EA Sports Active. These “exergames” have made fitness enjoyable by allowing physical activity to be fun, challenging, and adventurous. These fitness video games are great for improving eye-hand coordination, balance, stability, and stamina; all of which you can do at the gym as well.

As I was walking to work the other morning, a lady with ankle weights and dumbbells in her hands power-walked right on by me.

First off, this added resistance during aerobic activity strains the joints and can cause injury to the ligaments and tendons. Secondly, it just silly.

So, if you are guilty of this, please do your joints and your body a favor by hitting regular non-weight/resistance bearing cardio followed up by your weight training.

Guest blogger Taylor Ryan is a NASM certified personal trainer and the head trainer of the all women’s site: The Art of Weight Lifting. Women’s fitness is her passion! Read more at her blog.

Not all exercise is created equal. We all know that running a mile burns more calories than biking a mile and that dancing burns more calories than gardening, but did you know that when it comes to strength training exercises, the same rule applies?

If you’re spending time at the gym on the weight machines, now is the time to stop. These are isolated exercises geared to work one small muscle in a designated range of motion… basically you burn very little fat and build or tone very little muscle.

I was messing around on the Internet the other day and came across this article that discussed the three female body types. The article talked about each specific body type and what kind of training is the best for each type. Again, this is just another opinion from a fitness enthusiast, but I am going to share the article with you.

Three basic body types and workout regimens:

Ectomorphic: Tall and lean body style with a high metabolic rate which makes it hard to gain either muscle or fat. If you fall into this body type, you should perform 20 minutes or so of cardiovascular training three times a week and weight training consisting of three sets of six to ten repetitions with a moderate to heavy weight three to five days a week.

The first split workout routine covered cardiovascular training and a chest, back, leg, and ab workout. Today’s focus is geared toward those who are struggling with the weights rather than the cardio.

As soon as you get to the gym go immediately into your upper body weight training routine (15-20 minutes), followed by cardio (30-60 minutes), and then to your lower body weight training routine (15-20 minutes).

I have put together an upper body and lower body workout for you below. Focus on moving from one exercise to another while trying to keep the heart rate up. I recommend performing two sets of 25 repetitions. Good luck!!