The Ultimate Full-Body Kettlebell Workout

Kettlebell Goblet Squats

Regardless of whether or not you want to do a kettlebell workout or just have leg day, kettlebell goblet squats are a great alternative to a front squat while being slightly easier on the forearms and wrists.

Like any squat, make sure you keep a strong core, a proud chest, and your arms tucked in for maximum stability.

Muscles worked: Legs, biceps, lower back.

Halos

One of the few workouts here that can only really be exclusively done with a kettlebell, halos are a great way of building shoulder, core and upper back stability when done with a moderate weight.

The key is to focus on smooth rotation around the head, and you can turn up the intensity by alternating directions with every rep.

Muscles worked: shoulders, traps, core.

Kettlebell Pushups

We don’t need to tell you how to do a pushup, but the added elevation provided by a ketlebell is a great way to add in a chest component to your workout without putting too much strain on your already stressed shoulders and arms.

You can also alternate sets with close-grip pushups to get a better tricep workout or switch from one raised arm to another for plyo pushups.

Muscles worked: Chest, tris, shoulders.

Squat-to-Press

The key to both a good squat and a good shoulder press is posture – preventing your back from collapsing in on itself under the weight of the press and keeping a straight, strong back on the descent into a squat.

Muscles worked: Quads, glutes, hammies, shoulders

Kettlebell Swings

The archetypal kettlebell exercise, the humble kettlebell swing uses just about every muscle group in your body.

A few sets of these will set you up well for just about any workout, and when combined with a little additional cardio, make for a serious way to burn some calories.

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http://magentamagazine.co.za/health_beauty/the-ultimate-full-body-kettlebell-workout/

4 Lightweight Workout Essentials to Pack When Traveling

1. Resistance Bands: A set of resistance bands is at the top of our list, and for good reason. When you’re nowhere near a gym, you need something that’s light enough to pack, effective for building muscle, and takes up practically no space in your suitcase.


2. Travel Yoga Mat:

For yogis on the go, a travel-friendly yoga mat is a must-have. 
3. Dry Shampoo:

A good dry shampoo will let you leave the big bottles of shampoo and conditioner at home, so you can save room in your bag for more important things

4. Fashionable Running Shoes:

When we say “running shoes,” we’re not talking about your bright orange Nikes (though those are awesome for the gym). 

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https://www.brit.co/products-work-out-while-traveling/

Train your brain to work out

DON’T RELY ON FEELING MOTIVATED

If you are waiting for a magical feeling of motivation before you begin a fitness kickstart then you are shot before you start. That evil twin we spoke about earlier will always, always win and want to return to what it knows best — not exercising — if you give it the chance. So be ready to contest this feeling.

TELL YOURSELF IT’S ONLY FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES

Research has shown that if we give ourselves small goals we are more likely to follow through. Tell yourself you’ll only walk/run/swim/stretch for a couple of minutes. Odds are you will find your groove and want to keep going. This is a trick I often use myself, with fantastic results.

TELL YOURSELF YOU’RE NOT FEELING TIRED

We get so bogged down in life that we forget the difference between mental and physical tiredness. Sure, you might have had a stressful day but usually, this is not enough of an excuse to put a halt on moving your body. Convince yourself you have the energy to workout or do something to change it, such as going to bed earlier.

PERSIST UNTIL A HABIT FORMS

It’s human nature that once the going gets a little tough we return to our comfort zone. Most newly formed habits are just days off taking hold when we give up and say it’s all too hard. Don’t throw the towel in too early — if something isn’t gelling for you then try something else. Getting bored with your morning walk? Try a different route or throw some stairs into the mix.

USE THE WORDS NON-NEGOTIABLE

Become mindful of the voice that wants you to take the low road. View the evil twin as nothing more than a two-year-old having a tantrum. Yep, we do know what is best for us and listening to a toddler for direction on a decision is non-negotiable.

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Most effective Exercises for Weight Loss!

1. Cardio

Cardio has proven to be the most effective way of losing weight. It effectively enhances your metabolism during the workout and helps in shedding fat. In this procedure, you need to devote more time and intensity to the regular running, walkout, jogging, cycling. You can even opt for combining cardio treadmill to reach your goal. If you can rightly mix the workout with weight training then you will be able to enjoy great benefits. As a beginner, make sure of taking regular intervals during the workout. For an effective boost in the exercise, breathe hard during the interval.

Also Read > How to Lose Weight Using a Treadmill?

2. Push Up

Push Up is another effective free hand exercise for losing weight. While doing pushups, several parts of your body are engaged in the workout like arm, chest, and shoulders, including your legs. The advantages of doing pushups mean increasing the functional strength of the overall body and protecting yourself from any shoulder injury. It will burn a good amount of calories. Besides, the circulation of blood in the upper part of the body will also increase. Not to mention that pushups are a time-saving exercise. As a beginner, start with 10 to 15 pushups.

3. Lunges

Lunges are an exercise that works several muscle groups of a body. It works on the buttocks, thighs, and the hamstrings. It is a very simple form of workout. The most active type of lunges that assists in losing weight rapidly is the plain Jane forward lunge. You do not need any professional assistance to do it. You can perform it either with the help of dumbbells or free hand.

4. Jumping rope

Jumping rope is the procedure to swing a rope and jump over it. It is a speedy process, which is very beneficial to health and is incredibly sporty. The jumping rope is highly affordable and easily portable. At a steady rate, it burns near 10 to 16 calories a minute. It will also boost your heart rate. In fact, 10 minutes of jumping over the rope is equal to 8 minutes of mile running.

5. Jogging

Jogging is a very effective exercise, not only does it help to lose weight but also deals with grave body problems. Jogging means running at a slower pace, doing it regularly will result in a metabolism boost. It burns 435 calories per hour. If you do not have a good open ground to jog on then you can get a treadmill and use it for the same.

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These 5 Exercise Hacks Can Help When Depression Hits

1. Try working out at home

Sometimes the hardest part of working out is getting outside and to the gym or field. Avoid that hump completely and set up a home gym so that when motivation strikes you can just get right to the workout. Most people have a wide range of home workout devices right at their fingertips that they don’t know about.

2. Grab a partner

There’s strength in numbers, and for plenty of people, the buddy system is an extremely effective way to motivate a good workout routine. Exercising with a close friend who has similar goals is a great way to combat common feelings associated with depression: loneliness and seclusion.

3. Mix up the routine

Switching up your exercise routine is beneficial for a number of factors, primarily that it keeps your body and mind guessing and more productive.

4. Consult a trainer

It’s definitely more pricey than consulting a friend, but oftentimes it takes a personal trainer’s expertise to encourage you, and that’s OK. Personal trainers (especially those that understand the correlation between exercise and mental health) are great tools to help you stay active when you’re struggling to self-motivate.

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Burn Fat Anywhere, Anytime with This 20-Minute Bodyweight Circuit

Mobility is important whether you're training for a specific activity, sport, or if you just want to look good and be healthy. That's why trainer Jay Cardiello emphasizes movement and mobility exercises in the workouts he designs for celebrity clients like rapper 50 Cent and NBA All-Star Kevin Love.

Cardiello's 8-week Anywhere Anytime workouts do more than just hone your body control — they also help you to burn fat and ramp up your conditioning. Best of all, his circuits don't require any gym equipment, and only take around 20 minutes to finish.

Day 1 of Week 1 of the program, meant for Monday and Thursday, was focused on building flexibility and strength. For Day 2, which you'll perform on Tuesday and Friday, mobility is the name of the game.

Week 1: Get Mobile, Get Strong

Tuesday and Friday

Perform each exercise continuously for 30 seconds, either by completing as many reps as possible (AMRAP) within the timeframe or holding for the entire period. Take as little time as possible between moves, then rest for 2 minutes after completing each round. Perform 3 rounds to finish the workout.

1. Rear Delt Raises (L)
2. Frontal Delt Raises (L)
3. Frontal Delt Raises (R)
4. Rear Delt Raises (R)
5. Alternating Knee Drives
6. Elevator Planks
7. Pushups
8. Fire Hydrant (L)
9. Fire Hydrant (R)

Lose Weight at Home With These 10 Bodyweight Moves

If you're looking for a way to tone and shape your body with minimal equipment, body weight exercises are a great way to trim inches and help you lose weight. Using gravity and your body's natural resistance, you can kick up your metabolism by adding muscle in all the right places.

You want to make sure you hit a variety of muscle groups and activate your upper body, lower body, and core throughout the workout for maximum results, mixing some cardio bursts with basic HIIT exercises between strength training to jump start your calorie burn and improve your heart health.

We have rounded up the 10 best body weight exercises you can start practicing at home today.

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Top things to do for workouts

Fuel adequately. If you’re looking to exercise for more than an hour, you might need to fuel up more. A simple pre-workout snack would be a peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread, or a banana with some peanut butter. 

Warm up well. Warm-up exercises do not only increase your core body temperature but they should also prepare your muscles for the subsequent activities. Further, the slight increase in temperature increases the rate of reaction within your body, allowing you to produce energy more efficiently.

Coffee up. Caffeine is a stimulant. And if you’re looking for that pick-me-up before training sessions, coffee might be helpful to you. Just don’t overdo it though, as too much can also lead to some health problems along the way. 

Get adequate sleep. Sleep improves focus, memory, concentration and even reaction time. Further, lack of sleep might even increase risk of injury and hamper improvements.

hey add visual impact to any outfit Now after you train, make sure to give your body time doing light exercise to bring your body back to a parasympathetic state. In short, give yourself time to relax and recover and make sure it’s a part of your workout.

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Fitness ideas for the entire family

Toddlers to preschoolers

ADVERTISING

Acknowledge and take advantage of the fact that your child is now on the move.

1. Explore a playground where you can run with your child. Remember, you can play on the playground equipment, too! If your child wants to swing, use that time to get in a few squats and lunges. If the playground has a jungle gym, try some pullups, chin-ups or pushups.
2. Play active games such as soccer, football or tag.
3. Make up your own family game that involves a unique combination of jumping, sprinting, lunging, squatting and crawling. You'll get your heart rate up and incorporate some body weight resistance exercise.
4. Create a scavenger hunt and race your child to finish the tasks.

School-age kids

Explore the world with your child. Get involved in the things they enjoy doing.

1. Take a walk or hike in nature. Not only will you all get great exercise, but without any electronics around, your child might enjoy talking to you.
2. Invest in bikes and explore your city or town for new routes. Ride your bike or walk to lunch or dinner with the family.
3. Dance. Just do it -- let loose with your kids, have fun and get some great aerobic activity. Put on music your kids like (or some old-school rock they will laugh at) and get moving.
4. Swim. When you go to the pool with your children, get in. Running in the shallow end and swimming in a pool are great ways to combine aerobic activity with family fun.
5. Get involved in a sport that your kids can enjoy, such as tennis, basketball or soccer.
6. Plan vacations in destinations that encourage outdoor activities. Find a vacation spot where you can ski, hike, surf or go rock climbing.

Wherever you go, look for opportunities to add more physical activity to your family life. You'll enjoy time with each other and set your children up with healthy habits for the future.

Experiments

Try these suggestions to create family fitness fun.

1. Sit down with your kids and make a family activity plan.
2. Head outdoors for some exercise two times this week.
3. Try a family yoga session.

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Four Exercises for Every Workout

Pushups

Pushups may very well be the first exercise everyone learns as a kid and probably brings many different memories, but it is key to posture and upper-body strength. 

Lunges

Lunges work the lower body and provide strength training as well as stability and balance. You may do forward or reverse lunges, whichever is more comfortable. In either case, don’t bend either knee further than your comfort level and keep your upper body straight. As you gain strength and balance, you can even add a pair of dumbbells to the workout.

Squats

Squats, like lunges, work the lower body and help with core stability. Unlike the lunges, squats work both sets of quads and glutes at the same time. As you learned to do with lunges, don’t bend your knees too far and keep your balance by sitting back a bit more than you may have thought. Again, add weights as your strength increases.

Planks

Planks are similar to pushups, but you keep your body in the full up position. More so than pushups, planks work your core, abs, and back. Rather than pushing yourself up, you are just holding everything flat and straight. 

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5 Healthy Snacks To Eat After A Workout

1. Tuna Sandwich

A slathering of tuna spread over whole wheat or multigrain bread can do the trick. Tuna is a great source of lean protein and the combination of protein with carbs is great for recovery post exercise.

2. Apple And Peanut Butter

Slice an apple, spread peanut butter over it and eat up. It's a low-calorie snack and will work to build your energy when you're winded from working out.

3. Protein Shake

Now this is a no-brainer that fitness freaks swear by. Protein shakes do exactly what is necessary to rebuild the body's muscle and nutritive loss after exercise. Blend your protein powder of choice with a milk base and fruits and you'll be set for a couple of hours at least.

4. Eggs

Both, the white and yolk of eggs are packed with protein, potassium and minerals which help in overall muscle formation. Poach them, scramble them or fry them; whatever your method of choice, they make an egg-cellent snack.

5. Greek Yogurt

Yogurt isn't just filling but also aids in muscle recovery exceptionally well. Drizzle with honey and fruits for a complete meal that'll rejuvenate your body while tasting delicious.

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Reduce extra kilos in less time with these seven exercises

1. Circuit Training

Get out of a typical weight workout and get cardio benefits from one exercise to the next. This engages your mind into workout and keeps away from tuning out.

2. Cycling

Even slow cycling helps you get rid of your extra kilos and burn maximum. Thus get out and start cycling.

3. HIIT

To avoid long breaks in between your regular exercise circuit, High-intensity interval training is the best option you can try. In HIIT you train at a very high intensity with least amount of rest you can take in between each set.

4. Jump rope

Just 100 skips can burn so many calories but to shed extra kilos you have to push yourself to skip more than 100 which can burn 600-1000 calories

5. Battle ropes

These ropes work on the muscles in your abs, back, glutes and you can incorporate movements, such as jumps, lunges and squats that work your legs too.

6. Running

Start with slow speed and then slowly increase the speed which will keep you going without cramps and short of breathe.

7. Swimming

In Swimming all the muscles of your body are used simultaneously to tug yourself through the water. Hence you will train your muscles with this exercise

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Benefits Of Lunges: 6 Reasons Why You Must Practice Lunges Daily

1. Core stability

A proper lunge posture can help you achieve a stronger and more stable core. This workout engages your core and abdominal muscles. It helps you build stability which when you move your hips up and down. A stronger core allows you deal with lower back pain and improves your balance and posture as well.

2. Better balance

Lunges train one part of your body independently from the other at a time. This can help you achieve proper body balance and coordination. The stabilization benefits achieved from lunges is much better than what you get from squats and deadlifts.

3. Strengthens legs and buttocks

Lunges are quite effective in terms of strengthening legs and buttocks. Lunges target large muscle groups of your lower body; this boosts your metabolism and helps you lose weight much faster. When this excess fat is removed, lunges work on the shape and strength of your lower body.

4. Hip flexibility

Flexor muscles are usually ignored in other forms of workout. This and a sedentary lifestyle are the reasons why that part of your body tends to become tight. Lunges can help you make these parts of your body more flexible.

5. Better spinal health

While most exercises put load on your spine, lunges help in reducing that load; they give your spine a chance to relax. While working on other parts of your body, lunges take load off your spine, make it flexible and pain-free.

6. Makes you more functional

A workout which makes you more functional is one which impacts your natural, every day movements. Lunges are one such exercise which makes you more functional.

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Best weight loss exercise, this cardio activity can help burn 1000 calories in an hour

Easy and convenient

Skipping rope is one the cheapest workout equipment you can own. It can easily fit into your gym bag; you can carry it on work or leisure trips and basically start working out anywhere.

Less time, big results

Skipping is a great calorie burner. Just 10-15 minutes of skipping rope burn up to 200-300 calories. That’s about 1000 plus calories every week. Skipping pumps up your heart beat, which is the perfect way to get the fat melting.

Good way to tone

Skipping is not only a fat burner, but it also helps with overall toning. A regular skipping session improves muscle tone in both the lower and upper body. Skipping works out all the muscle groups, adding to the complete toning of the body.

Perfect low impact workout

Skipping ropes is a good way to include a low-impact workout into your routine. Since you barely have to be off the floor to get over the rope, it is easier on the joints.

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How You Can Use Supersets in Your Workouts

If you're not quite sure what that means, you might have the impression that the word's referring to some type of all-powerful exercise that can morph you into a muscled caped crusader. That's not quite right — although if you use supersets correctly, you could wind up looking superhero jacked as a result of your efficient, hard work.

What Is a Superset?

A superset refers to two exercises performed back-to-back, with little or no rest in between. The practice can help to cut your workout time roughly in half, since you're only resting once you've finished two moves, rather than taking time between every single set for just one exercise. If creating quick workouts meant to build muscular endurance and metabolic conditioning in the weight room is your goal, supersets will be your best friend.

How Should I Use Supersets?

The most obvious time to implement supersets is when you want to cut down your workout time. Be careful to remember that not every move is ideal to be part of a pair, however.

"When I do use supersets in body part workouts, I let them come into play after getting any 'heavy' work out of the way," says Men's Health Fitness Director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. "I wouldn't want to bench heavy and [then] row."

When Should I Use Supersets?

Your goals for training should also factor into your decision to use supersets. The method is not quite a one-size-fits-all time saver.

"If you're aiming for size or working to improve overall power via low-rep patterns, they may not serve you well," Samuel advises.

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Beginning a workout at any age or skill level

Talk with your doctor about healthy ways to incorporate fitness into your routine. For individuals recovering from an injury, consider seeking advice from a physical therapist who may identify areas requiring special focus.

Squats

A familiar movement, bending and lifting to pick up a grandchild or a bag of groceries requires training to help avoid back injury. Fine-tune your form by trying this move that can build muscle strength in the glutes, abdomen and leg muscles.

Push-ups

Drop and give us two, or 10 or 12. No matter how many push-ups you can muster, making time for this all-star exercise offers a high return on investment - building strength, balance and stability. For beginners, push-ups can be done against a tall counter, rather than all the way down to the floor. Stand with your palms on a counter and feet flat on the floor.

Single-leg balance drill

Boost your stability and balance by including this exercise into your at-home workout rotation. It can even be done while brushing teeth or washing dishes. Start by removing your shoes so your foot muscles can feel the floor. Stand with your feet flat on the floor, then shift your weight to your left leg and slowly bend your right knee, aiming to get your thigh parallel to the floor. Hold for five to 10 seconds, depending on your strength and stability, then, return that foot to the floor.

Planks

Side, center, forearm or - you guessed it - all of the above! Planking is a great way to engage your abdominals while strengthening and lengthening spine, back and shoulder muscles. Begin on all fours, with your hands under or slightly behind your shoulders. Extend your legs straight behind you and come up onto your toes.

Yoga

If you haven't already, it's time to give yoga a go. This holistic practice blending exercise and mindfulness is time-tested, has few age or ability barriers and offers benefits ranging from increasing flexibility to reducing falls. Two good starting positions are downward dog and warrior one. For downward dog, start the same way you start a plank but push your backside to the ceiling rather than toward the floor, so your legs are straight and your torso is straight. Keep your heels down and head relaxed. The

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The Best Anti-Aging Workout You Can Do

The Best Anti-Aging Workout

Doing all-out sprints for 30 seconds beat out steady cardio and longer, less-intense intervals (four minutes each at 90 percent effort) for boosting the power output of each unit of mitochondria, a new study at Victoria University in Australia found. 

The Anti-Aging Benefits of Cardio

The key to maxing the mitochondria you have all over is cardio. In fact, endurance exercise can double the amount in your muscle, says Mark Tarnopolsky, M.D., Ph.D., a professor at McMaster University in Ontario. “By swabbing athletes’ cheeks, we’ve found that they even have more mitochondria there,” he says. 

The Anti-Aging Benefits of Strength Training

“We’ve seen resistance training increase the amount of mitochondria by 30 percent in older adults who did three weight circuit workouts a week over four months,” Dr. Tarnopolsky says. So is there one optimal strength training regimen to follow? A new review of studies in the journal Frontiers in Physiology that looked at resistance exercise and its effect on the amount of mitochondria in muscle suggests more research is needed to find the single best.

How To Prevent—And Deal With—Post-Workout Muscle Soreness

Some people live for the ache of DOMS to prove that they actually worked their ass off during a workout. But instead of focusing on pain to prove your success—since it could mean you're not giving your body enough time to build up to your fitness goals—focus on the fact that you're slowly but surely able to lift more weight or run for longer without getting winded, says NASM-certified personal trainer James Shapiro.

Try these strategies to limit post-workout soreness:

1. Up your intensity gradually. If you work out longer and harder AND boost the intensity of your workout each time, DOMS becomes somewhat inevitable, says Straub. Instead, make things more challenging little by little. 

2. Listen to your body—not your workout buddy’s. You and your workout buddy may be #swolemates, but that doesn’t mean you have identical fitness abilities and experience.

3. Give your body some TLC. Don’t neglect to pamper those hard-working muscles.

4. Don't skip the cool down. “Studies show that performing 10 minutes of low-intensity cardio is on level with self-reports as a stretching session,” says Shapiro. This could mean a jog that's slower than your usual running pace, pedaling on a stationary bike at an easy clip, or even walking on the treadmill.

5. Stretch before bedtime. Remember how a lack of movement ups DOMS? Well, unless you really toss and turn throughout the night, shuteye equals remaining still AF for an extended period of time.

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