The shape of things

I love setting goals for myself. It's a great way to get me motivated and moving. Whether it be signing up for a 10K or deciding that I want to be able lift a certain amount of weight - I always need a goal or two to get me going.

So when I saw an article in the new Shape Magazine about "being the girl who can do pull ups" I was immediately hooked. My husband pokes fun at me because I lift weights 2-3 times a week and yet I still can't pull myself up while hanging on a bar. Of course he doesn't take into account the fact that it's a lot harder for women to do a pull up - but enough with excuses!

I tried to find the article on Shape's website, but they haven't posted it so I'll share it with you here:

1. Do seated lat pull down exercises - load 20-30 pounds and sit at the machine and pull down the bar. For form tips read this article. Keep adding more weight so that by the last two reps (out of 10) you can barely do another one.

2. Standing Lat Pull Down - Attach handles to a high cable machine, holding handles with palms facing forward. Bend your elbow, pulling handles down towards your shoulders. return to start position; repeat. When you can lift half your weight, advance to the next move.

3. Assisted Pull Up - set the weight on an assisted pull up machine to half your weight. When you can lift 80% of your weight, try number 4. Watch a good video on form and how to use these machines. (disregard the cheesy dude) hehe.

4. Pull-up  - Grasp a pull up bar with hands wider than shoulders and palms facing away you. Bend elbows, pulling chest toward the bar. Lower to start position and repeat. Do 2 or 3 sets of 2-5 reps.

You did it! Go Girl!!

I found this article today on webmd (man they have a lot of good stuff!) about the top 9 fitness myths busted. Most of them I had known were mythological, but it's a good article to read just to either freshen up from all that gym-talk you'll hear or if you just got started in fitness and healthy living.

My favorite busted myth: Machines are a safer way to exercise because you're doing it right every time.

This isn't so folks. I find that a lot of women only stay on the exercise machines because they either a) fear weights, b) don't want to be the only woman in the weight room, or c) just never thought to try anything else because they think the machines are doing just fine.

Truth is those machines not only can be dangerous if not positioned correctly (from the article: "Unless you have a coach or a trainer or someone figure out what is the right setting for you, you can make just as many mistakes in form and function, and have just as high a risk of injury, on a machine as if you work out with free weights or do any other type of nonmachine workot") They don't give you a great range of motion.

What I mean is when you have two dumbbells in your hand and laying on a bench doing chest presses you're utilizing a lot of muscles in addition to the chest to work. Your core is balancing and stabilizing you and your biceps and triceps are also working to lift the weight. But if you were to do the chest machine, you wouldn't get all these extra benefits.

Read the article to find out what else you've been hearing at the gym (or even from trainers, maybe) that just isn't so. Oh, and get over your fear and get in the weight room! You'll feel great and your muscles will end up looking great!

I love new workouts. Especially ones that have new ways to target the muscles I'm working. But sometimes, I want to go to the gym and hit up the main body parts quickly and effectively instead of hanging around trying to figure out a new move. If you've ever felt that way, then this workout is just for you:

Women's Health put together a list of the best exercises for each body part most women target. Perhaps not so surprisingly the moves that target and work your body the most effectively are also some of the most basic and simple moves. (Like the triceps dip, chest press, and chin up).

Here's an overview of the no-nonsense workout:

1. Triceps - the dip

2. Biceps - The Chin Up (this one is tough - especially for us girls - they suggest having a friend help with this one, I suggest using that maching in the gym that you load an amount of "help weight" stand on a platform, and do the chinup with some assistance. (so instead of doing a chin up lifting your 130 pounds, you do one lifting 80 pounds, or whatever your body can handle). Just try to keep making the help weight ligther and lighter.  

3. Shoulders - Military Press 

4. Upper Back - Dumbbell Row

5. Abs - Reverse crunch 

6. Low Back - Alternating Superwoman (sounds more complicated than it actually is)

7. Chest - Chest Press 

8. Calves - Toe Raise

9. Quads - Squat

10. Butt - Romanian Deadlift

If you do all these moves at the gym one day you will target all areas of the body and get a great all-over workout. Have fun. Print out the workout here.

I love finding new workouts. I love printing them out or tearing them out of a magazine and tagging it along with me to the gym. It's always my best workouts because it's something new and challenging and fun. I try not to post workouts in the blog until I've tested them, because I'd hate for one of you to go to the gym with it and it be a waste of your time.

I've been doing this "butt" workout a couple of times and I really like it. My favorite part of it is that it has 10 different moves so each time you go you can pick and choose. (Don't do all ten, you'd be in the gym for a long time).

I've tried all the moves except number 7 and 9. The reason being because move number nine just looks a little strange, and with the amount of men who stare in the weight room of my gym, I'd be completely uncomfortable (for goodness sake you're pulling a cable through your squatting legs!). I haven't tried number 7 but I want to and I will eventually.

And my favorites? This first one is great. You do a full squat (thighs parallel to the floor, the chick in picture b is not there, keep going deeper.) and then you rise up to 1/4 of a squat and then back down to a full squat. That's one rep. The second one is a dead lift. Nice. The third one takes a lot of balance, but you definitely feel it. Squat on one leg with weight in one hand.

Happy lifting. Welcome to a great back side. Download the workout and print it out.